Weekly anb04133.txt #8

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 13-04-2000      PART #3/8

* Congo (RDC). Chiluba -- towards a "summit of disengagement"  -  6 April:
Zambia's President Chiluba says African heads of state and the continent's mainly
Western donors were concerned that vast resources put at the disposal of the
Great Lakes region were financing the war effort in Congo RDC at the expense of
poor citizens. He said he has consulted the Presidents of Congo RDC, Uganda,
Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique in Cairo to seek fresh pledges on ending the
conflict. On 5 April, Chiluba stopped in Rwanda on his way home for a meeting
with military strongman Paul Kagame, a key player. "There have been violations
reported and violations have become the rule rather than the exception. That is
not good for us," Chiluba told reporters. "Neither the Congo nor any of the
countries involved have money enough to sustain the war effort. We don't want
them spending the cash on war, we want that money for development." Chiluba is
trying to arrange "a summit of disengagement" for countries involved in the war. 
 (Reuters, 6 April 2000)

* Congo (RDC). L'Unicef denonce  -  Martin Mogwanka, representant de l'Unicef a
Kinshasa, a denonce la situation sanitaire desastreuse du pays. Ainsi, le taux
de mortalite des enfants de moins de 5 ans s'eleve a environ 205 pour mille;
celui des femmes lors des grossesses et des accouchements est de 1.800 pour
100.000, un des taux les plus eleves du monde. Le niveau de frequentation des
ecoles primaires a chute a 35% (contre 65% il y a une trentaine d'annees),
parfois moins encore selon les regions. Par ailleurs, le nombre d'enfants livres
a la rue est croissant, ainsi que le travail d'enfants de moins de 14 ans. Parmi
les 1,1 million de personnes deplacees, 40 a 50% sont des enfants.   (Marches
Tropicaux, France, 7 avril 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Vers une assemblee constituante?  -  Le 5 avril, un comite
preparatoire de 15 membres pour la selection des membres d'une assemblee
constituante et legislative, que le president Kabila entend creer, a tenu sa
premiere session, a rapporte la radio congolaise. Le comite a etabli trois
commissions, une politique, une administrative et une pour les questions
juridiques, budgetaires et logistiques, pour organiser les elections des membres
des deux assemblees. Les partis d'opposition estiment quant a eux qu'il n'est pas
raisonnable de parler d'elections legislatives dans un pays divise et ont rejete
la proposition de mise en place d'un parlement de transition comme etant une
tentative de contourner l'accord de paix de Lusaka. L'Union pour la democratie
et le progres social (UDPS) a lance un appel a deux operations "ville morte" a
Kinshasa les 8 avril et 17 mai prochains, a annonce l'agence de presse
independante congolaise APA le 6 avril. Ces actions visent a "sensibiliser les
belligerants a s'engager dans l'arret des hostilites". L'UDPS poursuivra cette
serie d'actions "tant que les obstacles places sur la voie du dialogue
intercongolais ne seraient pas leves par les belligerants", a indique le parti.
Les Fonus de Joseph Olenghankoye avaient deja programme une journee "ville morte"
pour la meme date du 8 avril. En fait, la population de Kinshasa n'a pas repondu
a cet appel.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 8 avril 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Plan to end hostilities approved  -  8 April: A plan to end
hostilities between government troops and rebels is approved and will go into
effect on 14 April. Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, for three days, the Joint
Military Commission approves a disengagement plan that had previously been
adopted in Lusaka, Zambia, last July. On that occasion. Congo and its allies of
Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia --together with rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda -
- had all signed the cease-fire agreement that set up a Joint Military Commission
to monitor the situation. But President Kabila's government, the rebels and their
backers all reported frequent cease-fire violations. 9 April: President Kabila
meets with the leaders of Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia in Kinshasa. The talks are
held "in the context of the war and the latest meeting of the Joint Military
Commission in Kampala".   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 April 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Cessez-le-feu  -  La Commission militaire mixte a obtenu un nouvel
accord de cessez-le-feu. Le 8 avril a Kampala, a l'issue d'une reunion de trois
jours, les parties en conflit en RDC ont convenu d'une cessation totale des
hostilites a la date du 14 avril. Elles se sont egalement mises d'accord sur la
creation d'une zone de desengagement par le redeploiement des forces vers des
positions convenues prealablement. Le 9 avril, le nouvel accord a fait l'objet
d'un sommet a Kinshasa, ou le president Kabila avait reuni ses allies namibiens,
zimbabweens et angolais. L'atmosphere y etait a la prudence, le gouvernement
congolais doutant de la sincerite de ses adversaires. Les presidents ont appele
les Nations unies a "deployer rapidement une force de paix" en RDC. Ils ont
accepte le plan prevoyant la cessation des hostilites le 14 avril et le
desengagement des forces belligerantes sur le terrain afin de faciliter le
deploiement de la force de l'Onu.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 avril 2000)

* Congo (RDC). New draft UNHCR resolution  -  Following the oral presentation of
Roberto Garreton, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Congo
RDC, the statement of Pax Christi International representative Dennis Warner, and
the statement of Leonard She Okitundo, Congo RDC's Minister for Human Rights, a
new UNHCR-Congo RDC resolution is being drafted on behalf of the 56th session of
the Commission in Geneva. It will be brought to the Commission within a couple
of days. As for now, it is not yet a public document, and is still being actively
edited.This resolution is predominantly recalling earlier resolutions and
decisions of various UN and non-UN bodies. It also explicitly welcomes the recent
Security Council resolution 1291/2000 on the expansion of MONUC. It naturally
welcomes the third report of the Special Rapporteur and the Lusaka accords.
According to the draft, the Commission on Human Rights decides on a) An extension
of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur (no opposition to be expected), b) An
investigation into the 1996 and 1997 massacres (following up last years'
resolutions), c) A request of support from the UN Secretary General for the
Special Rapporteur, d) request to the High Commissioner for Human Rights to
provide the appropriate technical expertise and e) A request to the international
community to support the Human Rights Field office in Congo RDC. The draft
resolution does not raise the issue of possible international sanctions,
certification of diamonds etc. to break the chain between exports and weapon
imports. It does not recommend a weapons embargo, an International Humanitarian
Law Tribunal for Congo RDC or any other international initiative to the Security
Council.   (Heinz Werner Wessler, 10 April 2000)
* Congo (RDC). Tensions a Kisangani  -  Des divergences persistantes entre forces
rwandaises et ougandaises a Kisangani ont entraine une militarisation croissante
de la ville, les deux camps et les factions rebelles qu'ils soutiennent
renforcant leurs zones de controle en prevision d'affrontements eventuels, a
rapporte le 10 avril East African. Une rencontre la semaine derniere, entre les
chefs des services de renseignement militaire des deux pays, a pu apaiser mais
non resoudre les divergences. "Il s'agit d'une situation potentiellement
explosive. Il semble que les hauts dirigeants des deux pays aient perdu contact
et que ce soient les commandants qui sont en charge de la situation. Tant que
Kagame et Museveni n'interviendront pas, nous serons dans la meme situation que
la semaine derniere, avec des troupes qui se font face", a declare un diplomate
occidental en poste a Kigali. Le fait que le Rwanda et l'Ouganda ont des vues
divergentes sur la RDC a ete confirme par le president rwandais en exercice, Paul
Kagame, la semaine derniere.   (IRIN, Nairobi, 10 avril 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Elections differees  -  Le 10 avril, dans une communication au
corps diplomatique, le ministre congolais des Affaires etrangeres a annonce que
le president Kabila avait renonce a l'organisation des elections pour l'assemblee
constituante et legislative afin de privilegier le dialogue intercongolais. Il
a pris cette decision sous la pression de ses allies. Reunis le 9 avril en mini-
sommet, les presidents angolais, zimbabween et namibien ont en effet insiste pour
que soit organise ce dialogue, destine a trouver une solution pacifique a la
guerre et que, selon de nombreux observateurs, le president Kabila voulait
eviter. A l'issue de cette reunion, le Congo et ses allies ont aussi presse les
Nations unies d'intervenir "le plus tot" pour soutenir le nouvel accord de
cessez-le-feu et eviter la reprise de la guerre. Un porte-parole de l'Onu a dit
etre pret a "travailler etroitement" avec les belligerants pour mettre en oeuvre
cet accord, mais il a rappele que la Monuc avait un besoin urgent d'unites
specialisees que doivent fournir les Etats membres. Cependant, des combats
continuent a etre signales. L'armee reguliere et les rebelles ont tous deux
signale que des combats intenses se poursuivent dans la ville d'Ikela et ses
environs, dans la province de l'Equateur. Chaque camp accuse l'autre d'avoir
commence les attaques.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 12 avril 2000)

* Congo (RDC). A "significant step" for peace  -  10 April: The military
commanders of the warring sides have received orders from the Political Committee
overseeing the Lusaka peace process, and "have agreed to a complete cessation of
hostilities from 14 April", says the UN Secretary-General's spokesman. This move
follows the adoption by the Political Committee and the Joint Military Commission
of a disengagement plan for the warring forces during a series of meetings in
Kampala last week. Kofi Annan welcomes "this significant step forward" in the
peace process. At the same time, leaders of the Southern African Development
Community have called for the speedy deployment of the UN Observer Mission in
Congo (MONUC). 12 April: The UN Security Council says it will send a delegation
to Congo to discuss concrete ways to enforce the Lusaka peace accord.   (ANB-BIA,
Brussels, 13 April 2000)

* Eritrea-Ethiopia. Told to end war  -  6 April: A top American aid official has
called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to put aside their border war and facilitate the
speedy distribution of food aid to the millions of people threatened by famine.
The official, Hugh Parmer, of the United States Agency for International
Development, was speaking to reporters in Washington after a two-week visit to
some of the famine-stricken areas of Ethiopia. "I would just hope that the two
sides could figure out some way, in the midst of their conflict over other
things, to consider the humanitarian needs that are so severe, particularly in
the southern part of Ethiopia," he said. Mr Parmer said that he had asked the
authorities in both countries if the United Nations could transport food aid from
the Eritrean port of Assab through war zones into Ethiopia. But he said the
response from both countries had been less than enthusiastic. "I understand there
are a lot of political, diplomatic issues involved that I'm not competent to deal
with ... but just from the point of view of logistics, it would make life a lot
easier if we had that route,". he added. Many observers believe that the route
from the Eritrean port of Assab through to southern Ethiopia is the most reliable
and convenient compared to other alternatives. And earlier this week, Eritrea
offered the services of the port for the distribution of food aid. But Ethiopia
dismissed the offer as a public relations gimmick. They accused Eritrea of
stealing hundreds of tonnes of food aid from Assab in the past. The government
in Addis Ababa has, instead, decided to use the port in neighbouring Djibouti and
another one in Somaliland. "The port capacity (in Djibouti) is theoretically
sufficient to meet the needs for food coming in, but just barely," Mr Parmer
observed. The roads from the two ports are also not as good as the one from
Assab. But the WFP Director in Ethiopia, Judith Lewis, has said they were doing
their best to make good use of the two ports. "We have been working on a special
operation in the port of Djibouti to increase its capacity t between 20 and 30%",
she said.   (BBC News, 6 April 2000)

Weekly News anb0413 -  END of PART 3/8