weekly anb05257.txt #8

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 25-05-2000      PART #7/8

* Sudan. Attack in Nuba Mountains  -  During Government-sponsored
raids, which wreaked havoc on villages in the Lumun area of the
Nuba Mountains in April, more than 1,000 Nuba civilians were
abducted by government troops, including two catechists. One
catechist managed to escape during the raid, according to Gabriel
Meyer of the Sudan Relief and Rescue organisation. The destruction
of villages and agriculture has left 5,000 people in Lumun risking
starvation and exposure in the coming months. The attack occurred
in mid-April as part of a two-month long government offensive
against "rebel strongholds" in the Nuba Mountains. The 5,000
survivors face grim months in the future unless relief supplies
reach them soon.   (Zenit, Italy, 16 May 2000)

* Sudan. Women prisoners released  -  On 22 May, prison authorities
in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman released 563 female prisoners
following a pardon by President Omar el Bashir. Police spokesman
Major Abubakr Abdulgadir said in Khartoum that 83 percent of the
freed inmates had been convicted for offenses related to the
illegal brewing and trafficking in liquors. He said the rest were
convicted for "violating general morality law" the term used in
Sudan to imply prostitution. Abdulgadir said the ministry of the
interior has directed prison administrations nation-wide to release
women jailed for such offenses. Bashir told women in a meeting on
20 May that he had directed concerned authorities to release women
inmates with minor offenses. He had also said the ministry of
education would soon set a separate administration for girls'
education.   (PANA, Dakar, 23 May 2000)

* Sudan. Eritrean refugee crisis spreads  -  The Ethiopian advance
into western Eritrea has sent a wave of refugees fleeing to already
vulnerable Sudan. Military units have withdrawn from major towns
including Tesseney close to the Sudan border, as well as Haicotaa
on the road between Tesseney and Barentu. According to the Sudanese
authorities, over 50,000 people have now crossed into Sudan's
Kassala province, of whom 18,000 are soldiers. Numbers are said to
be increasing at the rate of 4,000 a day and Sudan says numbers may
rise as high as 200,000.The authorities and aid workers in the
eastern Sudanese state of Kassala are bracing themselves for tens
of thousands more Eritrean refugees. Sudanese rebel forces based in
western Eritrea have been abandoning their camps and returning to
Sudan.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 24 May 2000)

* Tchad. Un chef rebelle acquis a la paix  -  Jean Ngarandoh,
leader du commando Justice et Egalite, actif dans la region de
Logone au sud du pays, a depose les armes, estimant que le Tchad
"n'a plus besoin d'activite rebelle". Lors d'une conference de
presse le 18 mai dans la capitale, il a declare qu'il avait entendu
le voeu de paix du president Deby. Il a aussi invite un autre chef
rebelle, Youssouf Togoimi, qui opere dans le Tibesti au nord, a
suivre son exemple.   (D'apres IRIN, Abidjan, 19 mai 2000)

* Chad. Oil pipeline. Risk of failure?  -  A pipeline which will
allow the oil reserves of Chad to be exploited by a consortium of
oil companies, is due to be approved by World Bank directors
despite the fact that its own confidential report says the plan has
a 50% risk of failure. Fears about security, corruption and human
rights abuses in Cameroon and Chad, as well as concern that poverty
alleviation --the main purpose of funding the pipeline -- will not
be realised, have been played down in the report to the Bank's
directors. The decision by two of the original consortium members,
Shell and Elf, to pull out of the project after it was widely
criticised by environmental and human rights groups has also been
glossed over in the Bank;s project appraisal.   (The Guardian, UK,
20 May 2000)

* Togo. UNITA exiles expelled  -  Togo has expelled 56 members of
the Angolan UNITA rebel movement, some of whom have lived in exile
in the country for more than 20 years. Togo's Communications
Minister says the expulsions had been personally ordered by
President Eyadema. He said 18 of those expelled were children,
wives and relatives of the Angolan rebel leader, Jonas Savimbi.  
(BBC News, 19 May 2000)

* Tunisie. Le frere de Ben Brik libere  -  Le 18 mai, la peine de
trois mois de prison ferme prononcee a l'encontre de Jelal
Zoghlami, frere du journaliste Taoufik Ben Brik, a ete commuee en
seize jours d'emprisonnement par la cour d'appel de Tunis. M.
Zoghlami, en liberte provisoire depuis le 15 mai, est donc libre.
Cette decision confirme la volonte d'apaisement des autorites
judiciaires tunisiennes.   (La Libre Belgique, 19 mai 2000)

* Tunisie. Campagne pour les municipales  -  Le 21 mai, le coup
d'envoi officiel de la campagne des elections municipales a ete
donne. Pres de 3,5 millions d'electeurs vont renouveler les 257
conseils municipaux pour un mandat de cinq ans. Au total, six
partis et 339 listes sont en concurrence pour ces elections dont
l'issue ne fait guere de doute: le parti presidentiel est assure de
rafler l'ecrasante majorite des sieges. Omnipresent dans la vie
politique du pays, le parti presidentiel, le Rassemblement
constitutionnel democratique, avec 2 millions d'adherents, sera le
seul parti en lice dans deux circonscriptions sur trois. Ce scrutin
marque la premiere consultation electorale depuis la reelection du
president Ben Ali avec 99,45% des suffrages.   (AP, 21 mai 2000)

* Tunisie. Journaliste victime d'un attentat  -  Le 23 mai, le
journaliste tunisien Riad Ben Fadhel a ete blesse par balles par
des inconnus devant son domicile a Carthage. Ancien redacteur en
chef de la version arabe du mensuel francais Le Monde diplomatique,
il est directeur d'une agence de communication Impact Media. Il est
hors de danger et a ete hospitalise. L'association Reporters sans
frontieres rappelle que cet attentat survient a la suite de la
publication le 21 mai dans le quotidien Le Monde d'une tribune
libre de Riad Ben Fadhel, ou il mettait directement en cause le
president tunisien dans la question de l'affaire Ben Brik. De son
cote, le president de la Ligue tunisienne des droits de l'homme a
declare: "La plus grande prudence s'impose sur les mobiles de cette
agression. Il faut savoir raison garder".   (AP, 24 mai 2000)

* Ouganda. Grave situation sanitaire dans l'ouest  -  MSF-France
est la seule agence qui s'efforce de fournir des services medicaux
a quelque 49 camps de deplaces dans la region de Bundibugyo et est
submergee de travail, a rapporte OCHA. La situation sanitaire dans
le district a absolument besoin d'un plus grand nombre
d'interventions de la part des agences de l'Onu et des ONG, mais
l'insecurite reste un probleme et perturbe les activites
humanitaires sur tout l'ouest du pays, a rapporte la mission. Les
rebelles des Allied Democratic Forces sont de plus en plus actifs
dans l'ouest depuis fin avril et ciblent regulierement les
populations et les camps de deplaces.   (IRIN, Nairobi, 19 mai
2000)

* Uganda. No debt relief for the moment  -  On 21 May, debt
campaigners accused western governments of political interference
in a global plan to cancel the loans of some of the world's poorest
countries after it emerged that western creditors have postponed
hearing the Ugandan government's cade for a debt write-down. The
Paris Club of 20 creditor nations have announced that it would not
be considering Uganda at its meeting this month. Around 10% of its
$3.2 billion foreign debts are owed to Paris Club nations. The
group rarely explains its actions, but sources at the World Bank
say concerns about clashes between Ugandan and Rwandan troops in
Congo RDC are behind the decision.   (The Guardian, UK, 22 May
2000)

* Uganda. From Uganda's "New Vision"  -  18 May: Despite World Food
Programme attempts to ease the famine in Karamoja, the situation
has continued to deteriorate, with new deaths from starvation. 19
May: Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala was a key player in the recent talks
between Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of
Uganda. Prior to their meeting in Mwanza, the Cardinal met Museveni
and then travelled to Kigali with he had talks with Kagame. 23 May:
Uganda has started withdrawing its troops from the border with
Uganda following the easing of tempers between the two countries.
The Kisangani faction of the Congolese Rally for Democracy
yesterday said they were moving their headquarters back to
Kisangani "in order to put a stop to the chaos there". President
Museveni has criticised Ugandan and Rwandan officials who make
inflammatory comments about Kisangani. 24 May: The planned
withdrawal of Ugandan and Rwandese troops has been delayed until 26
May. It will begin at Bangoka International Airport and the pullout
will take three days, ending on 28 May.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 24
May 2000)

Weekly anb0525.txt - End of part 7/8