[Prec. per data] [Succ. per data] [Prec. per argomento] [Succ. per argomento] [Indice per data] [Indice per argomento]

Weekly anb12136.txt #7

_____________________________________________________________
WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 13-12-2001      PART #6/7
* Nigeria. Conference on Niger Delta - 10 December: A UN-backed conference on the troubled Niger Delta region of Nigeria begins today in the southern city of Port Harcourt. The Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has pledged to raise living standards in the Delta, which is the heart of the country's multi-billion-dollar oil industry but also home to some of its poorest people. The conference organisers Emmanuel Nyong said the gathering, due to be attended by government officials, community leaders and development experts, aims to produce a joint strategy to make development work. (BBC News, UK, 10 December 2001)
* Nigeria. Trials start on cheaper AIDS drugs - 10 December: Nigeria is to become the first African country to launch trials using cheap imported generic drugs to treat Aids and HIV infection. health officials say the treatment programme is to begin today in selected hospitals throughout the country. Recent figures published by the Ministry of Health indicate that almost 3.5 million Nigerians are believed to be infected with the HIV virus. But there is considerable doubt whether such a generic drugs programme is the most appropriate way to tackle HIV infection in Nigeria. The Nigerian experiment in tackling the Aids pandemic will be closely observed across Africa. Over the coming months, 10,000 patients are due to be treated with anti-retro viral drugs imported from India. Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo has strongly endorsed the trials. However, critics of the programme have questioned the ability of the country's poorly managed health system to cope with the close monitoring of patients required during the administering of the anti-HIV drugs. Moreover, critics argue that whatever resources are available should be put into HIV prevention. But those in favour of the trials point to the widespread use of similar but much more costly drugs in Europe and the United States and ask why Africans should be deprived of the chance to live a longer, healthier life despite HIV infection. (BBC News UK, 10 December 2001)
* Nigeria. Abuja market destroyed by fire - The main market in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, has been almost completely destroyed by fire. Eyewitnesses said the fire at the New Market began mid-morning on 10 December and raged for over 12 hours. Fire-fighters were still standing-by late into the evening. A fault in a back-up electricity generator is believed to have caused the fire. Foul play is not suspected. Hundreds of market vendors have lost their livelihoods, and the fire gutted homes belonging to several hundred people for whom the market also doubled as a residence. In some places, the fire was still smouldering on the morning of 11 December, as traders attempted to salvage what they could. The loss of the market is expected to have a major impact on local people, who will now have to travel to satellite towns to get food supplies. (BBC News, UK, 11 December 2001)
* Nigeria. Communicating the Faith - The Catholic bishops from the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Ibadan and Lagos (EPIL) have commended their Directors of Communications and Media for their initiative in coming together as a body for the propagation of the Catholic faith more effectively in the new millennium, through their various media means. The bishops said that such cooperation on a professional level will bring blessings to the Church and provide the Church with opportunities for living up to present-day challenges. The bishops said this on 5 December 2001, at Ss Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Ibadan, Oyo State, during the formal inauguration of the Ibadan/Lagos regional body, and the launching of its magazine called: "EPIL FOCUS". At the same time, awards were presented to 30 outstanding Catholics from the region which comprises Lagos, Ibadan. Oyo, Abeokuta, Ekiti. Ondo, Osogbo and Ijebu Ode Dioceses, for their services to the Church. (Peter Ajayi Dada, Cath. Secret., Nigeria, 12 December 2001)
* Rwanda. Les tribunaux "gacaca" - Après les élections des juges des tribunaux "gacaca" en octobre dernier, la suite du programme établi par le Cour suprême a été révélée le 10 décembre à Murambi. Du 4 février au 15 mars 2002, sera organisée la formation des formateurs, au nombre de 780. Les premières sessions de formation des juges élus commenceront le 18 mars. Ensuite, les procès seront lancés offiellement en mai 2002. Les premiers procès seront organisés en même temps dans douze secteurs différents, comme test. Puis le processus sera étendu progressivement. (Agence Hirondelle, Arusha, 10 décembre 2001)
* Rwanda. Rwanda accused of troop build-up - 6 December: The Democratic Republic of Congo's ambassador to the United Nations, Ileka Atoki, has alleged that Rwanda is reinforcing its military presence in the east of the country. Mr Atoki said the military build-up around the cities of Goma and Kalemie was a concerted effort to intensify the war in the central African country. He said he had handed in a letter of protest to the UN Security Council on 4 December. Mr Atoki said 3,000 Rwandan soldiers were moved across the border into the town of Bukavu on the night of 29 and 30 November this year. UN officials in New York could not immediately confirm the Congolese claims. The envoy linked the alleged cross-border movements to the stalled peace conference saying that Rwanda's aim is to "undermine" dialogue which his government has entered with rebels. The Inter-Congolese Dialogue, part of the 1999 Lusaka agreement, is expected to resume in South Africa in January with backing from the international community. 7 December: Rwanda rejects Congo RDC's claims. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 8 December 2001)
* Rwanda. Bilan du génocide - Selon une commission mise en place par Kigali, le génocide de 1994 aurait fait "1,07 million de morts". D'après le communiqué, on a compté 934.000 victimes dont la population connaît le lieu de leur exécution. Les précédentes évaluations variaient entre 500.000 et 800.000 victimes, issues de la minorité tutsi ou des modérés hutu, massacrés par des extrémistes hutu. - D'autre part, le 9 décembre, six personnes condamnées pour génocide par le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda, dont l'ancien Premier ministre Jean Kambanda, ont été transférées au Mali, où elles purgeront leur peine. Le Mali, le Bénin et le Swaziland ont signé des accords avec le TPIR pour héberger des condamnés du tribunal dans celles de leurs prisons qui rencontrent les normes internationales. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 11 décembre 2001)
* Rwanda. Genocide convicts sent to Mali - The first six prisoners to have been convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda have arrived in Mali where they will be serving out their sentences. Amongst the six former senior officials are Jean Kambanda, the former prime minister and head of the Rwandan Government and Jean-Paul Akayesu, former mayor of the Rwandan town of Taba. All of the convicts lost their appeals and will serve their sentences in a specially modified jail in the Malian capital, Bamako. The prisoners will complete their terms in the west African country and, while they will be held under Malian law, the International Criminal Tribunal will supervise the sentences. According to Kingsley Moghalu, spokesman for the UN tribunal, the security situation and standards of jails in Rwanda meant that the convicted could not serve their sentences in the country where the crimes were committed. However, he did not rule out the possibility of future convicts being sent back to Rwanda. The tribunal has been criticised in the past for its lengthy and costly system of trying those accused of crimes against humanity in Rwanda. However, Mr Moghalu said this latest move represented a new phase that will see those that took part in the 1994 genocide punished for their acts. He felt that this was a historic move in the creation of a culture of accountability amongst those in Africa that, up until now, had considered themselves untouchable. (BBC News, UK, 10 December 2001)
* Sénégal. Les évêques et la Casamance - Les évêques de la Conférence épiscopale du Sénégal, de la Guinée-Bissau, du Cap Vert et de la Mauritanie ont tenu leur première session pastorale à Sindone en Casamance. Par le choix de ce lieu, ils ont voulu donner un signal aux autorités sénégalaises et aux responsables du Mouvement (séparatiste) des forces démocratiques de Casamance (MFDC) en vue d'encourager les deux parties à parler vraiment de paix. Dans leur communiqué, les évêques ont lancé un appel aux deux parties pour qu'elles se retrouvent autour d'une table de négociation en vue d'un dialogue et d'une écoute réciproque. Ils ont aussi invité l'abbé Diamacoune à quitter le mouvement rebelle, estimant que la place d'un prêtre n'était pas dans un mouvement utilisant la lutte armée. Pour sa part, l'abbé Diamacoune a indiqué que son retrait brusque causerait plus de mal que de bien. (D'après Fides, Rome, 7 décembre 2001)
* Sierra Leone. Annulation de dette - Le Club de Paris a accepté de restructurer la dette publique extérieure de la Sierra Leone en annulant environ 72 millions de dollars au titre de celle-ci. "Nous espérons que l'accord entrera en vigueur au début de l'an prochain", a indiqué le ministère des Finances le 6 décembre. La restructuration devra aussi réduire de près de $180 millions à environ $45 millions les paiements de service de la dette aux créanciers du Club de Paris entre le 1er octobre 2001 et le 30 septembre 2004. Le but est de permettre au pays d'allouer plus d'argent aux secteurs prioritaires comme la santé, l'éducation et l'agriculture. La Sierra Leone émerge lentement de dix années d'une guerre brutale entre rebelles et forces gouvernementales, qui a laissé son infrastructure économique, politique et sociale en lambeaux. (IRIN, Abidjan, 6 décembre 2001)
* Sierra Leone. Re-building a nation - 3 December: The head of the UN mission in Sierra Leone calls for more international assistance to support the reintegration and rehabilitation of former fighters. 4 December: The German Development Agency (GTZ), has opened a technical skills centre for former fighters in northern Kambia District. 5 December: The Independent Media Commission has scrutinised the country's 60 newspapers and approved the publication of twenty-one of them. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 6 December 2001)
* Somalie. Vers une catastrophe humanitaire - Depuis quatre ans, le sud-ouest de la Somalie n'a connu que des pluies dérisoires. Les cultures ont séché sur pied et la moitié du bétail serait mort. 800.000 personnes basculent dans la disette. Les nomades aux troupeaux décimés ont quitté leurs villages pour s'entasser à Lugh, où se trouvent quelques rares centres nutritionnels. La sécheresse n'explique pas seule l'hécatombe. Le gouvernement national de transition, mis en place à Mogadiscio à l'été 2000, n'a jamais reçu de la communauté internationale plus que des encouragements. Il s'est trouvé acculé, pour survivre, à inonder le pays de shillings fraîchement imprimés, entraînant une dévaluation qui a divisé par trois la valeur de la monnaie en l'espace d'un an, et d'autant le pouvoir d'achat des nomades dans les pays voisins. Enfin, l'opprobre jeté sur la Somalie par les Etats-Unis, qui accusent des groupuscules islamistes d'être les complices de Ben Laden, a fini par précipiter le pays dans l'abîme. Le gel des avoirs de la compagnie Al-Barakaat par les autorités américaines, a mis fin à son activité de transferts de fonds de la diaspora vers la Somalie, estimés à près d'un milliard d'euros par an. (D'après Le Monde, France, 9 décembre 2001)
* Somalia. US military in talks with Somali rebels - US military personnel have visited Somalia for the first time since their ill-fated peace keeping operation ended seven years ago, to investigate possible targets in the wider war on terrorism. According to UN sources, the nine-man US team held talks on 9 December with opposition warlords in Baidoa, south-western Somalia, focusing on the activities of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (Islamic Unity), a Somali group listed by Washington as a foreign terrorist organisation. US intelligence is convinced that al-Qaida camps in Somalia are still active and that the country is a prime destination for any of Bin Laden's followers able to escape from Afghanistan along the mule trails of southern Pakistan. An intelligence source said: "They are still active there. We're looking very hard at the islands off the coast near the Kenyan border, for example, and the Indian Ocean off that coast is being intensively patrolled, mostly by German ships" (The same day, IRIN reports that fears of an imminent American air strike is gripping Somalia). (The Guardian, UK, 11 December 2001)
* Somalie. Cible de l'antiterrorisme - L'Italie pourrait envoyer des troupes en Somalie, s'il s'avère que son ancienne colonie héberge des cellules terroristes liées à Oussama Ben Laden, indique Le Figaro le 7 décembre. Des agents des services secrets italiens se trouveraient déjà en Somalie aux côtés de leurs homologues américains et français, et l'Italie s'apprêterait à lancer en janvier une opération aéronavale visant à "neutraliser" des cellules et des camps d'entraînement de Ben Laden en Somalie. -La Somalie pourrait être une des prochaines cibles des Etats-Unis, note le même journal le 11 décembre. Le paria de la Corne de l'Afrique retient particulièrement l'attention de Washington. Diplomatiquement, c'est probablement la cible la plus facile pour les Etats-Unis: le gouvernement y est embryonnaire et peu de pays sont prêts à le soutenir pour protester contre une intervention. Les services de renseignements américains auraient identifié des camps d'entraînement terroristes dans le sud du pays, à la frontière du Kenya. Des navires de guerre américains patrouillent déjà au large des côtes somaliennes pour intercepter des responsables d'Al Qaida qui parviendraient à s'échapper d'Afghanistan. - Selon la presse de Nairobi, les forces alliées engagées dans la lutte contre le terrorisme international ont demandé à pouvoir utiliser les bases militaires du territoire kényan pour poursuivre en Somalie, et peut-être au Soudan, la chasse aux hommes d'Al Qaida, rapporte l'agence Misna le 12 décembre. Le gouvernement kényan aurait garanti sa collaboration, mais uniquement en échange de financements plus importants de la part des organismes internationaux (FMI et Banque mondiale). (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 12 décembre 2001)
* Somalia. Warlords snub talks - 13 December: Some key Somali faction leaders have announced they will boycott peace talks due to start in Kenya, today, unless the interim administration renounces its claims of being the legitimate government. The warlords are part of the Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council, SRRC, a group that is supported by Ethiopia. But the Somali prime minister after a visit to Addis Ababa recently, said that his Ethiopian counterpart had promised to ensure that militia leaders opposed to the interim administration attend the reconciliation meeting. This meeting comes in the wake of a visit to Baidoa in southern Somalia by a military delegation from the United States. Ethiopia has consistently accused Somalia of supporting al-Itihad al-Islamia, an armed fundamentalist Islamic group, which operates inside Ethiopia and which the United States says has links to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. The interim government has always denied the claims. A senior US official now in South Africa says Washington is working with Somalia's neighbours to identify potential terrorist networks. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 13 December 2001) 

Weekly anb1213.txt - #6/7