Weekly anb05045.txt #6

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 04-05-2000      PART #5/6

* Sierra Leone. Casques bleus enleves et tues  -  2 mai. Des
combattants de l'ex-rebellion ont enleve des casques bleus de la
force de paix de l'Onu en Sierra Leone (Minusil) les 1 et 2 mai, le
jour meme ou la force d'intervention ouest-africaine achevait
officiellement sa mission dans le pays. Trois de ces enlevements
ont ete perpetres par des hommes du Front revolutionnaire uni
(RUF). "Si les negociations echouent, une action militaire sera
entreprise pour liberer les hommes", a souligne le commandant de la
Minusil, le general indien Vijay Jetley. Le 2 mai, le Conseil de
securite a vivement condamne ces prises d'otages et reclame leur
liberation immediate. L'Onu, qui parlait a l'origine de 17 otages,
avance maintenant le chiffre de 20 casques bleus et autres
personnels de la Minusil aux mains du RUF. Ce sont essentiellement
des Indiens et des Kenyans ainsi que trois membres d'equipage d'un
helicoptere russe. 8 ont ete faits prisonniers a Makeni (centre) et
12 autres a Kailahun (est). Dans un autre incident, deux casques
bleus ont ete blesses dans une fusillade a Magburaka. Un Nigerian
a ete gravement blesse et a du etre rapatrie. La Minusil compte
6.000 hommes, qui contribuent a faire appliquer l'accord de paix
signe en juillet dernier pour mettre fin a neuf ans de guerre
civile. - 3 mai. Un porte-parole de l'Onu a annonce qu'au moins
sept casques bleus kenyans ont ete tues par les rebelles. Dans un
nouveau bilan, il a indique que 49 membres de la Minusil ont ete
faits prisonniers par le RUF. "La trace de nombreux autres a ete
perdue en raison de la fluidite de la situation". Selon l'Onu, les
rebelles ont attaque les casques bleus le 2 mai et dans la nuit du
2 au 3 mai a Makeni et a Magburaka.   (ANB-BIA, de sources
diverses, 3 mai 2000)
* Sierra Leone. Rebels seize UN troops  -  The UN Secretary-
General, Kofi Annan, has condemned the abduction of UN peacekeeping
troops in Sierra Leone, saying the attacks on 2 May were
"outrageous and criminal". The Security Council denounced the
attacks after a special session to discuss the crisis. At least 17
UN soldiers and workers, from Kenya and India, have been seized by
rebels in separate incidents in the north and east of the country.
Mr Annan blamed the incidents on fighters of the Revolutionary
United Front (RUF), saying they had "physically obstructed" the
process of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of the
combatants. Annan called upon the rebel leadership, in particular
the RUF chief, Foday Sankoh, to "cease these acts" immediately and
cooperate with signed peace agreements with the government. On 3
May, it was reported that efforts are continuing to seure the
release of the UN personnel who the UN says are being held by
rebels. The number is now given as 50. Foday Sankoh denies that his
men are holding any hostages.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 4 May 2000)

* Somalia. Cholera worsens  -  Local officials in Somalia have
warned of a cholera outbreak in central and southeastern parts of
the country. They said drought was making the situation worse
because a shortage of clean water was helping to spread the
cholera.   (BBC News, 30 April 2000)

* Somalie. Conference de paix a Djibouti  -  Une nouvelle
conference de paix en Somalie, nee des efforts du president
djiboutien Guelleh, s'est ouverte le 2 mai a Arta, pres de
Djibouti. Ses organisateurs esperent que celle-ci sera couronnee de
plus de succes que les douze precedentes organisees depuis 1991...
D'apres le ministre des Affaires etrangeres, la conference durerait
une semaine, en presence de 250 delegues somaliens. Pour une fois,
ce nouveau sommet n'est pas reserve aux representants des seules
factions somaliennes qui se dechirent depuis neuf ans, mais il
comprend des membres de la societe civile. Cependant, les chefs de
guerre n'ont pas cache leur hostitlite a l'initiative du president
Guelleh. Un seul d'entre eux, Ali Mahdi Mohammed, qui controle le
nord de Mogadiscio, est present a Arta; les autres boudent la
reunion malgre les pressions exercees par leurs soutiens dans la
region.   (D'apres AP, 2 mai 2000)

* Somalia. Peace Conference  -  27 April: Two delegations from
Djibouti have arrived in Somalia in an attempt to persuade Somali
leaders to participate in a peace conference now expected to take
place on 2 May. The conference was supposed to run from 20 April to
5 May but was halted by controversy and anti-Djibouti
demonstrations in Somalia the day before it was due to begin. The
talks are the brainchild of Djibouti's President Guellah and are
supported by international bodies including the OAU and IGAD. 1
May: Somali delegates have started to arrive in Djibouti in large
numbers ahead of the conference which is due to start tomorrow.
Delegates include clan leaders, civil rights activists, politicians
and armed groups. 2 May: More than 200 delegates are attending the
conference, although the northern self-declared Republic of
Somaliland is not attending, neither are some powerful Somali
faction leaders who have already rejected President Guellah's plan
which envisages a transitional government to run Somalia for two
years. A surprise arrival was the administration from the
neighbouring region of Puntland. The conference opens with a
reading from the Koran and an opening speech by President Guellah. 
 (ANB-BIA,, Brussels, 3 May 2000)

* South Africa. Trying to avoid the Zimbabwean crisis  -  Pressure
is mounting in South Africa to help engineer a solution in
Zimbabwe, but President Mbeki knows that in doing so he will walk
a fine political tightrope. Although to get concessions, President
Mbeki must show public solidarity towards President Mugabe on the
land question, he will also have to avoid his own country being
damaged by association, and by any social and economic spillover of
the crisis in South Africa. The crisis in Zimbabwe is forecast to
slash 2% off South African economic growth this year, as its farm
invasions throw the spotlight on South African land reform
programmes which are being criticised for being too slow.   (The
Independent, UK, 30 April 2000)

* Sudan. Visit by Archbishop of Canterbury  -  28 April: The
spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of
Canterbury, George Carey, has gone to Sudan. The highlight of his
4-day visit will be the enthronement of Joseph Marona as the new
Archbishop of Sudan on 30 April in Juba. Sudan has been without an
Anglican archbishop for two years. 29 April: The government says it
is extending its temporary ceasefire in the southern Bahr-el-Ghazel
region until mid-July. A foreign ministry statement says the
decision is being taken to help the delivery of relief to the
people of the region. 30 April: Dr Carey makes an impassioned plea
for peace in Sudan. In a sermon in Juba, he appeals for tolerance
between Christians and Muslims, and urges warring factions to
search for a peaceful solution. He says: "I do not believe there is
any reason, either here in Sudan or anywhere else in the world, for
Christians and Muslims to commit violence against each other".  
(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 1 May 2000)

* Sudan. The human price of oil  -  In a Press Release issued on 3
May, Amnesty International said that massive human rights
violations by Sudanese security forces, various government armed
militias and armed opposition groups, are clearly linked to foreign
companies' oil operations. "The civilian population living in oil
fields and surrounding areas has been deliberately targeted for
massive human rights abuses -- forced displacement, aerial
bombardments, strafing villages from helicopter gunships, unlawful
killings, torture including rape and abduction", said Maina Kiai,
Amnesty International's Director for Africa.   (Amnesty
International, 3 May 2000)

* Soudan. Terreur pres des puits de petrole  -  Selon un rapport
d'Amnesty International, intitule "Soudan, le prix humain du
petrole", les civils soudanais qui habitent pres des champs de
petrole sont massivement victimes de violations des droits de
l'homme. Les services de securite du gouvernement et leurs milices
bombardent des villages, tuent, torturent et enlevent des civils
"au nom de la securite des regions petrolieres". D'autre part, les
groupes de rebelles s'attaquent egalement a la population dans
leurs tentatives de s'emparer de ces regions. Selon AI, les
compagnies petrolieres sont complices, car elles font comme si de
rien n'etait. (Le texte du rapport est disponible sur le website
d'AI: www.amnesty.org).   (D'apres De Standaard, Belgique, 4 mai
2000)

* Tanzania/Zanzibar. Political pact turned into a farce  -  The
Zanzibar political pact concluded last year between the ruling CCM
party and the opposition CUF, after months of painstaking efforts
by the Commonwealth, is in a state of suspended animation. With big
wigs from both parties trading accusations as to who was
responsible of stalling the implementation process, no one is sure
whether the accord will be discharged within the 31 May deadline.
But as chief negotiator, the club's special envoy, Moses Anafu is
expected in Zanzibar during the week to kick-start the
implementation process. The accord outlines several measures aimed
at stemming the island's four-year-old political crisis, which
arose following the contentious 1995 general elections. Measures
outlined in the agreement include the promotion of human rights and
good governance, reform of the judiciary and the normalisation of
political life on the island. Other key elements of the pact were
the reform of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission before October's
general elections and the nomination by President Salmin Amour of
two new CUF members to the House of Representatives. A
reconstruction and reconciliation fund was also to be set up from
which victims of political hooliganism, resulting from the enmity
between the two parties, would have been compensated their claims.
But apart from the apparent normalisation of political activities
in Zanzibar and the return to the House of Representatives by CUF
MPs, the rest of the agreed proposals are still under wraps. A
constitutional amendment bill, which among other things would have
granted President Amour amnesty from prosecution when he retires
this October, was withdrawn after CUF MPs refused en masse to vote
for it.   (Nicodemus Odhimbo, PANA, 1 May 2000)

* Tunisia. Ben Brik's hunger strike continues  -  1 May: The
Tunisian authorities have given the journalist, Taoufiq Ben Brik,
who's on hunger strike, a passport valid until 2005. But Mr Ben
Brik told the French News Agency the document was useless, and that
his fast would continue. He began his protests in April over travel
and work restrictions, and what he described as harassment of his
family. The Tunisian authorities have accused Mr Ben Brik of
publishing false information and offending public institutions in
his reports for European newspapers. 2 May: Five brothers and
sisters of Ben Brik, living in France, Britain and Tunisia have
joined him on hunger strike.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 2 May 2000)

Weekly anb04050 - end of part 5/6