Weekly anb10187.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 18-10-2001      PART #7/7

* Afrique du Sud/Algérie. Visite de Bouteflika  -  Le 16 octobre, le 
président algérien Abdelaziz Bouteflika a entamé au Cap sa première visite 
d'Etat en Afrique du Sud. Il est accompagné d'une délégation ministérielle 
et d'hommes d'affaires. La visite est destinée à renforcer les relations 
bilatérales et à accroître un dialogue de haut niveau, indique-t-on de 
source officielle sud-africaine. Lors de sa visite de quatre jours, M. 
Bouteflika présidera à Pretoria la seconde session de la commission mixte 
Afrique du Sud-Algérie, aux côtés du président Mbeki. Les deux présidents 
ont joué un rôle essentiel dans le projet de la Renaissance africaine. 
Durant sa visite, M. Bouteflika a déclaré qu'il soutenait "sans réserve" 
l'action menée par les Etats-Unis contre le terrorisme. C'est la première 
fois que le chef d'Etat algérien se prononce aussi clairement au sujet des 
frappes américaines contre l'Afghanistan.   (PANA, Sénégal, 16-17 octobre 2001)

* South Africa. South Africa disputes AIDS report  -  10 October: The South 
African government casts doubt on the findings of a report it commissioned 
on the impact of AIDS which claims the disease accounted for a quarter of 
all deaths in the country last year. The Medical Research Council's report 
also estimates that AIDS will kill between five and seven million South 
Africans by 2010 and that it was the cause of 40 percent of adult South 
African deaths last year. The government, heavily criticized for its 
handling of the AIDS crisis, had hoped to put the official release of the 
report on hold until December. However, a copy was leaked to the media 
after President Thabo Mbeki ordered a review of health spending on the 
basis of 1995 statistics that showed HIV accounted for just 2.2 percent of 
deaths. Government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe says concerns remained about 
the research methodology and findings. At present, South Africa only 
monitors HIV infection rates at free pre-natal clinics, which the 
government said was not a representative sample. 16 October: The report has 
now been released by the Medical Research Council.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 
October 2001)

* Soudan. Liberté de presse  -  Les autorités soudanaises ont suspendu pour 
deux jours, les 12 et 13 octobre, l'unique quotidien anglophone du pays 
"Khartoum Monitor". Dans un article du 7 octobre, le journal avait rapporté 
le mécontentement des sudistes après le propos du conseiller présidentiel 
Ghazi Salah El Din sur le rejet d'un processus d'autodétermination du 
Sud-Soudan. Khartoum Monitor est connu pour ses critiques sur la politique 
du gouvernement, particulièrement au sud du pays. Il avait déjà été 
suspendu trois jours en septembre, à la suite d'articles jugés "nuisibles" 
aux relations entre le nord et le sud. Ses journalistes ont également fait 
l'objet de plusieurs arrestations au cours de l'année.   (RSF, France, 12 
octobre 2001)

* Tanzanie. Vers un partage du pouvoir  -  Le pouvoir tanzanien et un parti 
d'opposition pourraient former une coalition gouvernementale dans les îles 
de Zanzibar et Pemba, a révélé le 11 octobre une source proche du président 
Mkapa. Kingunge Ngombale-Mwiru, conseiller principal du chef de l'Etat, a 
déclaré à la presse que le partage du pouvoir était l'élément essentiel 
d'un accord de réconciliation entre le Chama Cha Mapinduzi (au pouvoir) et 
le Front civique uni (CUF). L'accord, dont il n'a pas précisé la date de 
signature, est conclu pour mettre fin à l'éternelle crise politique à 
Zanzibar et Pemba.   (PANA, Sénégal, 12 octobre 2001)

* Tanzania. Zanzibar pact  -  11 October: The European Union welcomes a 
pact signed in Zanzibar aimed at ending political instability and says it 
will re-assess its long-term aid support to the Indian Ocean islands. 
Tanzanian political parties promised on 10 October to revise voting laws 
and boost opposition participation in governing the semi-autonomous 
islands, to resolve a long standing dispute over allegations of vote 
rigging during elections. "We have already decided to step up assistance 
via NGOs for the most urgent needs of the people of Zanzibar," EU 
Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielsen said in a 
statement. "I have recently given the go-ahead to a new NGO project for 
just over one million Euros to combat HIV/AIDS in Zanzibar." In September 
the EU, along with other major Western donors, decided to maintain a freeze 
on direct aid to Zanzibar, saying political instability was not conducive 
to development. But on 11 October, Nielsen said the commission would make 
an assessment of its potential long-term support to Zanzibar. 15 October: A 
court in Zanzibar has freed two senior opposition leaders after the state 
dropped murder charges against them. The deputy secretary general of the 
Civic United Front, Juma Duni Haji, and another official from the party had 
been jointly charged with the murder of a policemen in the island of Pemba. 
The policemen were killed during clashes with opposition demonstrators in 
January. The decision to drop the charges against the two men follows the 
signing last week of a reconciliation agreement between the CUF and the 
ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi. The agreement was aimed at resolving the 
long-running row in the country which arose when the opposition disputed 
the results of the last two general elections alleging that they had been 
flawed.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 October 2001)

* Uganda. Bubonic plague kills 14  -  An outbreak of bubonic plague in 
Uganda has killed 14 people in the last three weeks, officials said. A 
government health official said on 11 October that the disease is believed 
to have been caused by an influx of rats into several villages. The rats 
entered four villages in the northwestern Nebbi district near the Congo 
border, said Dr. Dam Okware, who is coordinating the government's efforts 
to halt the spread of the fatal disease. The rats normally live outside the 
villages but seek shelter during the annual rainy season, he told Reuters. 
So far, 23 people have been infected with the disease, which affects the 
lymph nodes, and 14 have died. No new cases have been reported since 
October 3, Okware said. The bacterial disease is transmitted from rodents 
to humans by fleas living on the infected animals. Humans can also get it 
through direct contact with infected blood or tissues. There are three 
different variations of plague, including bubonic, all of which are 
treatable with antibiotics if diagnosed in time. Symptoms in people include 
sudden high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and sometimes nausea or 
vomiting.   (CNN, USA, 11 October 2001)

* Ouganda. 14 morts de la peste  -  Au moins quatorze personnes sont mortes 
de la peste depuis un mois dans le district de Nebbi (nord-ouest du pays), 
où une épidémie a fait son apparition, a annoncé un responsable des 
maladies contagieuses. Le ministère de la Santé a envoyé une équipe 
sanitaire dans la zone, afin d'asperger les villages d'insecticide et tuer 
les puces qui ont répandu la maladie. Depuis lors, la progression de 
l'épidémie est contenue, selon ce responsable. Il ajoute que les fortes 
pluies dans la région, frontalière avec le Congo-Kinshasa, ont aggravé la 
situation.   (La Libre Belgique, 12 octobre 2001)

* Zambie. Nouvelles défections de députés  -  Le 11 octobre, dix-sept 
députés du parti au pouvoir, le MMD, ont annoncé leur ralliement au parti 
d'opposition FDD. Trois autres députés avaient présenté leur démission la 
veille. Au cours de sa convention nationale en mai, le MMD avait exclu 22 
de ses principaux responsables, en particulier des membres du gouvernement, 
parce qu'ils s'étaient opposés à une révision de la Consitution permettant 
au président Chiluba de briguer un troisième mandat. L'ouverture de la 
convention du FDD est prévue le 12 octobre à Lusaka.   (PANA, Sénégal, 11 
octobre 2001)

* Zambie. Indifférence des électeurs  -  Le 15 octobre, la commission 
électorale zambienne a manifesté sa préoccupation devant la trop grande 
indifférence de l'électorat national pour le scrutin général du 18 novembre 
prochain. La responsable des relations publiques de la commission, Mme 
Bwalya, estime que si rien n'est fait, la tendance actuelle pourrait 
hypothéquer les consultations. Depuis les élections présidentielles et 
législatives de 1996, moins de 50% des électeurs inscrits ont voté dans 17 
des 20 élections partielles. Mme Bwalya a demandé aux parties intéressées 
d'inciter les électeurs à se rendre aux urnes lors des prochaines 
élections. - Par ailleurs, les juristes zambiens ont présenté une 
interprétation contradictoire de la nationalité de Christon Tembo, élu 
président du Forum pour la démocratie et le développement (FDD, parti 
d'opposition) et candidat à la présidence. Certaines sources prétendent que 
les parents de M. Tembo sont originaires du Malawi.   (PANA, Sénégal, 16-17 
octobre 2001)

* Zambia. Opposition chooses leader  -  Zambia's newest and highest profile 
opposition party has elected the former vice president in President 
Frederick Chiluba's government as its presidential candidate. At the Forum 
for Democracy and Development (FDD) convention at the weekend, Christon 
Tembo, convincingly beat three other candidates -- including two former 
ministers. Elections are due to be held before the end of the year, and 
President Chiluba's ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy party (MMD) 
has been hit this year by a series of defections of ministers and MPs to 
the FDD. This followed an ultimately unsuccessful attempt by the president 
to seek an unconstitutional third term in office. The FDD have already won 
two parliamentary by-elections and President Chiluba's chosen successor, 
Levy Mwanawasa, who is the MMD candidate, appears far from assured of 
victory. However, on 15 October, Vice-President Enoch Kavindele said Mr 
Tembo would not be allowed to stand in the election because his parents 
were from Malawi.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 October 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai attacked  -  The leader of Zimbabwe's opposition 
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has escaped unhurt after his vehicle 
was damaged by a mob of suspected ruling party supporters. According to MDC 
spokesman, Learnmore Jongwe, a group of about 50 ZANU-PF supporters and war 
veterans attacked the MDC motorcade with sticks, stones, machetes and 
spears. All the windows in Mr Tsvangirai's vehicle were said to have all 
been shattered and the car extensively damaged. Mr Morgan Tsvangirai was on 
his way to address a presidential campaign rally about 150 km west of the 
capital as part of a series of meetings with supporters in preparation for 
presidential elections next year. The MDC is treating the attack as an 
assassination attempt. The convoy made a U-turn and the rally was 
cancelled.   (BBC News, UK, 12 October 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Querelles dans l'opposition  -  Plusieurs hauts responsables du 
principal parti d'opposition, le Mouvement pour le changement démocratique 
(MDC), ont été suspendus en vue de résoudre les querelles au sein de la 
classe dirigeante dans la perspective de l'élection présidentielle de 2002. 
Cette formation, considérée comme le plus sérieux adversaire du parti du 
président Mugabe, est au bord de l'implosion à cause de querelles 
intestines. Il y a deux semaines, un groupe de jeunes avait tenté 
d'assassiner le député Job Sikhala, responsable de la sécurité au niveau du 
parti. Le MDC accuse le gouvernement d'utiliser des agents secrets pour 
infiltrer et déstabiliser le parti avant l'élection. Par ailleurs, les 
responsables ont déclaré que ces disputes résultaient des orientations du 
parti et de l'aptitude de son candidat à la présidentielle, Morgan 
Tsvangirai.   (PANA, Sénégal, 14 octobre 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans "desperately need help"  -  The economic crisis in 
Zimbabwe, and rising prices in particular, are having a devastating effect 
on its people, the South African government said on 12 October. Alec Erwin, 
the minister of trade and industry, said economic mismanagement had led to 
sky-rocketing inflation that was hurting Zimbabwe's poorest people. "What 
is happening to ordinary people and workers is devastating, absolutely 
devastating. And it's not being solved," he said. "They desperately need 
help." Inflation in Zimbabwe is estimated at 70 per cent, while 
unemployment is 50 per cent. The country is facing shortages of basic 
foodstuffs and the International Monetary Fund has ruled out making further 
loans to the country. Mr Erwin's comments followed a partial U-turn by the 
government of Zimbabwe on 12 October on its decision to impose price 
controls on staple foods. The 10 October announcement of big cuts in the 
price of bread, maize, meat, cooking oil and milk had led to a run on 
shops, causing food shortages and threatening to close down hundreds of 
companies. This acknowledgment of Zimbabwe's economic plight by the South 
African government is one of its strongest statements yet about the extent 
of the financial crisis, precipitated by political violence and land 
invasions in its northern neighbour.   (Financial Times, UK, 14 October 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe threatens business takeovers  -  President Robert Mugabe 
has said his government will take over companies which close due to the new 
compulsory reductions in food prices. The government announced controls on 
the prices of basic foods last week, provoking many Zimbabwean food 
manufacturers and retailers to say they will go out of business. Price 
controls were first introduced in the 1980s, but were abandoned in the 
1990s when the government decided to implement the IMF and World Bank 
economic reforms. But speaking at the funeral of a former cabinet minister 
on 15 October, Mr Mugabe denounced the reforms saying they had not eased 
the cost of living. He said his government would therefore take over firms 
which could not, or would not, sell basic foodstuffs like bread and cooking 
oil at the new reduced prices.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 15 October 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe accuse Londres  -  Le 15 octobre, le président Robert 
Mugabe a accusé la Grande-Bretagne de saboter volontairement l'économie de 
son pays en lui imposant des sanctions qui ne disent pas leur nom. 
S'exprimant à des obsèques, M. Mugabe a accusé "les Britanniques d'avoir 
intercepté des navires" dont la cargaison de pétrole était destinée au 
Zimbabwe. "Nous avons des preuves de cela, car les propriétaires de ces 
bateaux nous l'ont dit", a-t-il affirmé. Selon M. Mugabe, la 
Grande-Bretagne a proposé d'acheter les cargaisons de pétrole en question 
pour empêcher qu'elles n'arrivent au Zimbabwe. Depuis deux ans, le Zimbabwe 
est frappé par une grave crise économique.   (La Libre Belgique, 16 octobre 
2001)

Weekly anb1018.txt - End of #7/7 -  THE END

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Un homme meurt chaque fois que l'un d'entre nous se tait devant la tyrannie 
(W. Soyinka, Prix Nobel litterature) - Everytime somebody keep silent when 
faced with tyranny, someone else dies (Wole Syinka, Nobel Prize for 
Literature) *
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