weekly anb04063.txt

[anb-bia <anb-bia at village.uunet.be>]

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 06-04-2000      PART #3/9

* Burundi. Peace Process  -  29 March: The rebel Forces for the
Defence of Democracy (FDD) say the group has not waived its
condition for taking part in the Arusha Peace Process. It still
insists on the dismantling of the regroupment camps and the release
of political prisoners. Some delegates at the Arusha Talks say they
are not happy with the 200-page draft accord delivered to them by
the mediators this week, saying "it contains nothing new". 30
March: Nelson Mandela says the Government of Burundi will promptly
begin closing down the regroupment camps. According to observers,
this is clearly a gesture of good intention to consolidate the
platform of national reconciliation. Mr Mandela has expressed his
trust that the final outcome of the negotiations between the
government and rebels, will be positive. However, the UN special
Rapporteur on human rights in Burundi, Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum,
has said that as the conflict intensifies, human rights violations
are also on the increase. 31 March: Parties to the peace process
have begun discussions on the formation of Committee Five that will
be charged with ensuring implementation of the anticipated peace
accord. President Buyoya urges his armed forces to remain "calm"
when performing their duties. He says their duty is to continue to
protect all the population and Burundi's frontiers. The second
committee (charged with negotiating the nature of a transition
programme) and the fifth committee (to address measures to
guarantee the implementation of the peace agreement) to the peace
process will resume their negotiations in Arusha on 10 and 17
April, respectively. It is also hoped that the third committee
(dealing with peace and security issues) will resume its work this
month, with the participation for the first time of armed rebels of
the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) and the National
Forces for Liberation (FNL). 4 April: Five organisations,
representing radical Tutsis, have rejected the Arusha peace talks
and threaten to take up arms to protect the interests of Burundi's
genocide survivors.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 April 2000)

* Cameroun. Strategie contre la pauvrete  -  Le Cameroun a engage,
depuis le 28 mars dernier, les consultations en vue de la redaction
du "Document de strategie de lutte contre la pauvrete (DSRP )".
Inspire par le Fonds monetaire international (FMI) et la Banque
mondiale afin de pallier les carences du Programme d'ajustement
structurel (PAS ), ce document de reference sera une espece de
vade-mecum qui reflete la juste mesure de la pauvrete au Cameroun,
et les moyens pour y remedier. "L'elaboration du DSRP va se faire
suivant une approche participative, associant notamment secteur
prive, societe civile et bailleurs de fonds", souligne le
gouvernement camerounais. Yaounde doit remettre ses conclusions a
Bretton Woods avant juin prochain, afin d'etre eligible a
l'initiative en faveur des Pays pauvres tres endettes (PPTE ). Ceci
permettra au Cameroun de beneficier de la Facilite pour la
reduction de la pauvrete et la croissance (FRPC ), synonyme d'une
reduction de la dette a hauteur de 8,5 milliards de FF (sur une
ardoise globale de 45 milliards de FF).   (Reporters associes-ANB-
BIA, Cameroun, 4 avril 2000)

* Cameroon. Fighting poverty  -  4 April: In a seminar organised by
the government, the IMF and the World Bank, a plan is put forward
to fight poverty in Cameroon. Teams of specialists will visit the
country's 10 provinces until the end of April, to meet with local
administrators and members of civil society. The information will
then be gathered in a report which will lead to appropriate
policies for fighting poverty being drawn up.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels,
4 April 2000)

* Cameroun. Liberalisation de l'audiovisuel  -  Signature, le 3
avril 2000 par le Premier ministre camerounais, des textes
consacrant la liberalisation de l'audiovisuel: desormais, radios et
televisions privees pourront donc emettre officiellement. Ces
textes d'application surviennent dix ans apres l'adoption par les
deputes de la loi sur la liberte de communication sociale.
Impatients, certains Camerounais avaient deja mis sur pied des
radios pirates pour contourner la difficulte. Des radios etrangeres
(Radio France Internationale, AFRICA N§ 1, etc.) avaient meme
installe a Malabo (Guinee equatoriale) des emetteurs a destination
de Douala et du littoral camerounais en general.   (Reporters
associes-ANB-BIA, Cameroun, 4 avril 2000)

* Congo-Brazza. Inquietudes pour les femmes violees  - 
L'Organisation des Nations unies pour l'enfance (Unicef) et le
Fonds des Nations unies pour la population (FNUAP ) ont mene a
Brazzaville, aupres de 4.890 personnes, une enquete sur les
violences sexuelles en situation de post-conflit. Les resultats
publies en mars 2000 revelent que 1.745 femmes ont ete violees au
Congo-Brazzaville pendant et apres la guerre du 18 decembre 1998
par des bandits armes. Selon les responsables de l'Unicef et du
FNUAP, ces cas de viols ont ete commis sur la route contre des
femmes qui fuyaient les combats de Brazzaville vers la region du
Pool, et sur la route du retour, en grande partie par des hommes en
uniforme appartenant aux factions rebelles et aux Forces armees
congolaises (Fac). Le pourcentage des reponses a la question:
"Connaissez-vous, dans votre entourage, des femmes victimes des
violences sexuelles, pendant et apres la guerre?", est tres
significatif: 72,03% des femmes ont refuse de repondre. 40,4% des
femmes questionnees estime que le viol met en jeu l'honneur de la
femme, et 27% ont fait savoir que la femme violee est souvent
indexee comme porteuse de maladies sexuellement transmissibles
(MST) et du sida. Quant aux retombees subies dans l'environnement
familial, 31,86% des femmes sont victimes de railleries permanentes
dans la rue et 18,8% sont rejetees par leurs partenaires sexuels
habituels. Sur le plan psychologique, 11,0% des femmes violees
actuellement font une depression nerveuse, 10,1% sont devenues
agressives, 15,7% sont devenues extremement nerveuses, et 6,6%
tentent deja de se suicider.   (M. Libani, ANB-BIA, Congo-Brazza,
5 avril 2000)

* Congo-Brazza. Refinery resumes activities  -  The Congolese
National Oil Refinery at Pointe Noire has resumed its activities
after nearly four years of inactivity, a source close to the
Congolese oil ministry said on 29 March. The company resumed its
activities after the government released in December 750 million
CFA francs for restoration works at the refinery. Some 250 million
francs worth of spare parts were bought from Europe to reactivate
the refinery. Initially, it will refine 21,000 tonnes of crude oil.
The crude oil was bought by its partner, the London-based Swiss
company, Trafigura, at a cost of 2.5 billion francs. A few days
after resuming production, it delivered to the Congolese Oil
Marketing and Distribution Company (Hydro-Congo) two 20-tonne
tankers of butane gas, 3,000 tonnes of high grade petrol, gasoil
and aviation fuel at the rate of 1,000 tonnes per day for each
product. The company, which was facing serious technical and
financial difficulties, stopped its activities 15 August 1997,
forcing the country to import oil products. It failed to recover 37
billion francs owed to it by Hydro-Congo because the latter was not
regularly passing on to it the proceeds from the oil sales often
supplied on credit. As a result, with an annual capacity of one
million tonnes, it never refined more that 600,000 tonnes of crude
oil in a year. The company, which is being privatised, was
inaugurated in December 1983 with a capital of 10 million francs,
fully held by government. It produces butane gas, high grade
petrol, gasoil, kerosene and aviation fuel.   (PANA, Dakar, 30
March 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Attaques contre les Banyamulenge  -  Selon des
informations, les milices Mai-Mai auraient encercle la region du
Moyen Plateau au Sud-Kivu et lance des attaques contre la
population tutsi banyamulenge qui y reside. Les Mai-Mai seraient
sous commandement zimbabween et des sources banyamulenge parlent de
lourdes pertes en vies humaines. Le 19 fevrier dernier, la
communaute banyamulenge avait annonce qu'une campagne pour les
eliminer etait en preparation. Des tracts ont ete distribues a
Bukavu et Radio patriote, la radio de propagande haineuse anti-
tutsi, a repris ses emissions. Depuis le debut de l'annee, 700
Banyamulenge ont fui vers le Burundi. 200 autres familles seraient
regroupees a Uvira par l'armee rwandaise, qui les a empechees
d'aller au Burundi et veut qu'elles aillent au Rwanda. Les
observateurs notent que les relations entre Banyamulenge et l'armee
rwandaise se sont graduellement deteriorees depuis l'an dernier.  
(IRIN, Nairobi, 30 mars 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Insecurity in Bukavu  -  The anticipation for the
return of Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko to his Archdiocese of Bukavu
(administrative centre of South Kivu, Congo RDC grows, as also
insecurity in his territory. Another two raids have been carried
out in the last two weeks, against religious institutions, both
situated on the outskirts of Bukavu and near to Rwandan-commanded
military bases of the Goma faction of the Congolese Rally for
Democracy (RCD-Goma) backed by Kigali. These raids have been
condemned in a document, published on 29 March by the Consultative
Board nominated by the Catholic Church in Bukavu during the absence
of the Archbishop, entitled: "Why has Archbishop Kataliko still not
returned to Bukavu?" The first raid was directed against the
Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Family of Bagira-Nyakavogo.
The attack, carried out by 14 armed men including 12 in uniform,
began on 19 March at around 21:00 at night and ended at 2:00 in the
morning (local time). Some of the bandits spoke in Swahili (one of
the 5 official languages of Congo RCD) and others, Kinyarwanda (the
Rwandan language). On 26 March, at 1:00 in the morning, a group of
12 armed men dressed in uniform, broke into the presbytery of the
Catholic Parish of Kasha-Ciriri, immediately after having robbed a
nearby home. The Board did not give details of any injuries to the
victims of the attacks. It did comment on the lack of interest in
investigating the attacks and the insecure situation in the
administrative centre.   (MISNA, Rome, 31 March 2000)

weekly anb0406 -  end of part 3/9