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Weekly anb01109.txt #9

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 10-01-2002      PART #9/9
* Uganda. Disarming the cheerful cattle-rustlers - Not long ago, Karamajong cattle-herders typically went about their business with AK-47s slung casually over their shoulders. Now, they carry sticks instead. Barely a month since the Ugandan government launched a programme to rid Karamoja of its estimated 40,000 guns, the dusty roads of this remote north-eastern region already seem safer. And about time, too. Modern firearms have grievously disrupted the Karamajong people's ancient, pastoral way of life. Like so many tribes in the region, the Karamajong measure wealth in cows: a man cannot marry without paying a bovine dowry. Cattle-rustling has long been common, but has grown dramatically more bloody in recent decades. Before the gun came to Karamoja, young rustlers carried spears and killed only sporadically. But in the late 1970s some cattle-keepers attacked an army barracks in Moroto, and seized the arsenal. Since then, cattle raids have turned into miniature wars. Two years ago, 500 people died in a single skirmish. The government used to turn a blind eye to Karamajong gun-toting. Some politicians argued that they needed their weapons for protection, not only from each other, but also from cross-border cattle raids by well-armed groups, such as the Turkana of Kenya or Dinka of Sudan. Civil war in southern Sudan has ensured a steady influx of smuggled weapons. The resulting violence has scared off all but the bravest businessmen. The region remains the poorest in Uganda, with the highest rate of infant mortality, a pitiful level of literacy and virtually no commerce. Until recently, Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's president since 1986, was not terribly concerned. Karamoja was too remote for its problems to affect the rest of the country. Besides, Mr Museveni's troops were busy quelling internal rebellions and taking part in the war in Congo. But over the past 18 months, after most Ugandan troops had been withdrawn from Congo, Mr Museveni has started to take an interest. The violence is spilling over. While watering their cattle in settled neighbouring districts, Karamajong nomads have also shot, raped and looted. At least 80,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. About a month ago Mr Museveni began a determined effort to disarm the Karamajong, launching the campaign in person and camping out in Karamoja for two weeks. The results have been encouraging: over 6,000 guns have so far been surrendered, and hospitals say admissions from gunshot wounds have fallen. Drunken husbands are now apparently less likely to settle domestic brawls with bullets. To police the borders and protect Karamajong kraals, a number of "local defence units" have been set up, staffed by volunteers but under army control. Several thousand Karamajong have joined. The government has promised to build a road along the Kenyan border, to make it easier to catch invaders. But the obstacles remain. The government has had to extend its deadline for the surrender of weapons, because it needs more time to deliver the tools, oxen and small loans it has promised to those who have already handed in their guns. And though the Karamajong like Mr Museveni, they do not necessarily trust his army to keep them safe. The border is long, underpopulated and difficult to police. The defence volunteers are keen, but may become less so when they realise they will have to be away from their cattle for long periods. And so long as Kenyan and Sudanese raiders have guns, many Karamajong will want to keep theirs. Many are thought to be wrapping their Kalashnikovs in plastic and burying them, just in case. (The Economist, UK, 5-11 January 2002)
* Zambie. Elections - Le jeudi 27 décembre, les Zambiens ont voté pour des élections présidentielle, législatives et municipales. Selon les analystes, elles pourraient déboucher sur un gouvernement de coalition pour la première fois depuis l'indépendance en 1964. Pour la présidence, onze candidats sont en lice, mais on estime que le scrutin se jouera entre trois hommes: Levy Mwanawasa, dauphin désigné par le président sortant Chiluba, et deux candidats de l'opposition, le général Christian Tembo et Anderson Mazoka, un homme d'affaires. Un sondage publié le 24 décembre, donne une courte victoire à ce dernier, qui peut se targuer du récent soutien de l'ancien président Kenneth Kaunda. La même étude fait aussi présager qu'aucun parti n'obtiendra la majorité au Parlement et qu'un gouvernement de coalition semble inévitable. - 31 décembre. Pour l'élection présidentielle, la commission électorale a donné gagnant d'une courte tête Levy Mwanawasa, talonné par Anderson Mazoka; Christian Tembo arrivait en troisième position. Les observateurs de l'Union européenne ont fait état de "nombreux indices de graves défauts dans cette élection, avant, pendant et après le scrutin". - Le 1er janvier, des milliers de personnes ont participé à Lusaka à une manifestation organisée par sept partis d'opposition qui contestent les résultats et ont demandé à la Haute Cour et à la Cour suprême d'en bloquer la proclamation. La Haute Cour s'est accordé un court répit. - Le 2 janvier, la Haute Cour a autorisé la proclamation des résultats. En vertu du scrutin majoritaire à un tour, Levy Mwanawasa a été déclaré vainqueur avec 28,7% des voix, contre 26,7 à Anderson Mazoka. Sous haute surveillance policière, M. Mwanawasa a prêté serment comme nouveau président de la Zambie. - Le 7 janvier, le président Mwanawasa a nommé un gouvernement de 21 membres, au sein duquel il occupe lui-même le poste de ministre de la Défense. Il a conservé dans son gouvernement 7 anciens ministres de celui de son prédécesseur, Fréderick Chiluba. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 7 janvier 2002)
* Zambia. Concern mounts over poll - 3 January: Zambia's main local monitoring organisation has expressed serious doubts about the conduct of general elections. This has raised serious questions regarding the legitimacy and credibility of the election results. The ruling party's Levy Mwanawasa narrowly won the presidential election held on 27 December, but opposition parties have claimed that fraud and ballot rigging swayed the result. The Foundation for Democratic Process (Fodep), which deployed monitors in every polling station, was unable to provide any specific evidence of wrongdoing. But the organisation's head, Dr Alfred Chanda, admitted that some figures from their monitors did not tally with the electoral commission's official figures."The 2001 elections were not efficiently and successfully conducted. As a result this has raised serious questions regarding the legitimacy and credibility of the election results." Their concerns echo comments from EU monitors, who announced they were investigating "a number of anomalies" surrounding the elections. "There are a large number of discrepancies between the parliamentary and the presidential elections," said Michael Meadowcroft, the head of an EU delegation monitoring the elections. Since being sworn into office on 2 January, Mr Mwanawasa has been seeking to establish some distance from his predecessor, former president Frederick Chiluba. At the ceremony, which was boycotted by the opposition, he vowed to make the fight against Aids a national priority. Mr Mwanawasa said he would personally lead the campaign against the disease and work towards securing cheaper drugs. According to government figures, 200 Zambians die of Aids every day, and one in five has HIV, the virus that causes Aids, or has already developed the disease. 7 January: A new cabinet has been chosen by President Mwanawasa, but there is a familiar look to his first 19-member cabinet. This may revive accusations that he is still being strongly influenced by Mr Chiluba. 8 January: Police disperse hundreds of mainly women opposition supporters marching in Lusaka to protest Levy Mwanawasa's election. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 January 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Un 5e juge blanc démissionne - Le 3 janvier, un cinquième juge blanc a démissionné au Zimbabwe, alors que le gouvernement poursuit sa réforme controversée du système judiciaire qui a vu, ces derniers mois, une série de départs de juges du tribunal de grande instance et de la Cour suprême en signe de protestation, indique l'agence PANA. Le juge David Bartlett a écrit une lettre au président Mugabe, lui annonçant sa démission, sans donner de raisons, se contentant d'indiquer qu'il quittera ses fonctions le 31 mars 2002. Avec ce départ, il ne reste que deux juges blancs au barreau du tribunal de grande instance du Zimbabwe. Le système judiciaire zimbabwéen est instable depuis avril dernier, date à laquelle le gouvernement a entamé une réforme dans laquelle les juges considérés comme politiquement et "racialement" partisans sont poussés à la démission. Les critiques ont accusé le gouvernement d'utiliser le prétexte de la réforme judiciaire pour remplir le corps judiciaire de juges conciliants qui, selon eux, ont compromis son indépendance. - D'autre part, selon l'agence Misna, une première liste d'environ 100.000 personnes qui recevront de la terre en vertu de la réforme agraire, sera communiquée d'ici quelques jours, a fait savoir le porte-parole présidentiel, George Charamba. La liste serait publiée dans les journaux locaux. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 3 janvier 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Security forces receive pay boost - Reports from Zimbabwe say members of the country's uniformed forces, including the army and police, are to receive a 100% pay rise. The move comes ahead of presidential elections, due within three months, and a new bill which will give police sweeping powers to control opposition electioneering. The report in the Financial Gazette newspaper says President Mugabe, who is commander in chief of the defence forces, personally sanctioned the pay increase. Members of the civil service in Zimbabwe are poorly paid, and police spokesman Wayne Buzevegina said he felt officers deserved a pay rise. "I'm not so sure as to the figures. We have been under-paid for a long time and, if there are any increases, they are due to these officers." He would not confirm the amount, but said he expected the rise to be implemented next week. (BBC News, UK, 5 January 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Escalade de la violence - Selon l'hebdomadaire zimbabwéen Financial Gazette, les élections municipales à Harare, prévues le 11 février, seront reportées et fixées après le mois de juin, indique l'agence Misna le 5 janvier. La décision, prise par le président Mugabe, serait officialisée la semaine prochaine. Le parti au pouvoir, le ZANU-PF, craint probablement une défaite aux dépens du Mouvement pour le changement démocratique (MDC), à la veille des élections présidentielles prévues en mars. Pendant ce temps, les violences politiques se poursuivent dans le pays. Le 3 janvier, des sympathisants du ZANU-PF ont saccagé la maison d'un ancien candidat du MDC. Au cours des derniers jours, quatre sympathisants du MDC ont été tués et un proche du ZANU-PF assassiné. L'escalade de la violence fait craindre le pire. Le 4 janvier, le leader du MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, a déclaré que le pays vacillait "dangereusement au bord d'une guerre civile". - D'autre part, le 8 janvier, le ministre britannique des Affaires étrangères, Jack Straw, a annoncé que Londres demandera la suspension de l'appartenance du Zimbabwe au Commonwealth, lors de la réunion de cette organisation en mars, "si la situation continue à se détériorer". (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 janvier 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Nothing has changed -- drama in Parliament - 4 January: Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), says the country is heading towards "a low- intensity civil war" because of violence by President Robert Mugabe's party youth militia, which has killed four MDC members in the past ten days. Several officials of the President's ZANU-PF party have been named as beneficiaries of his programme to redistribute land from white farmers. 6 January: ZANU-PF has launched a media blitz for President Mugabe's re-election bid, with a date expected for the March poll to be announced soon. 8 January: Parliament is reconvening to consider a package of controversial bills ahead of the presidential election. The bills include: a Media Bill banning foreign correspondents from the country; a Public Order Bill; an Election Regulations Bill which proposes a ban on local independent monitors. The same day, the government suffers a shock defeat when the MDC blocks a bill outlawing independent monitors from the March presidential elections. The MDC outvotes ZANU-PF by 36 votes to 22 when many government Members are absent from the House. The Justice Minister, Patrick Chinamasa tells parliament that the bill will be forced through anyway. -- The British government announces for the first time that it favours punitive action against Zimbabwe. -- Hundreds of Mugabe's youth militia seal off three towns, Bindura, Chinhoyi and Karoi, as political violence grows. The youths demand that residents either produce or buy ZANU-PF membership cards immediately. 9 January: ZANU-PF summons its 93 members to Parliament to vote on two further bills. President Mugabe announces the elections date -- 9 and 10 March. Hours before this announcement, Zimbabwe's military chief warns that the army will not accept a president "who reverses the gains of the revolution". (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 January 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Elections en mars - Le 9 janvier, le président Mugabe a annoncé que les élections présidentielles auront lieu les 9 et 10 mars prochain. Par ailleurs, le général Vitalis Zvinavashe, chef des forces armées, a déclaré que l'armée n'acceptera personne n'ayant pas participé à la guerre de libération et qui ne défend pas les valeurs zimbabwéennes. Ceci constitue une intimidation directe vis-à-vis de Morgan Tsvangirai, candidat de l'opposition,qui n'a pas pris part à la guérilla contre le régime blanc dans les années 70. D'autre part, le parti de Mugabe amplifie les lois permettant aux forces de sécurité d'agir contre l'opposition. Cette législation devrait aussi interdire aux journalistes étrangers de travailler au Zimbabwe et museler la presse locale. La Fédération internationale des journalistes a appelé, le 9 janvier, l'Union européenne à "condamner, isoler et placer en quarantaine politique" le Zimbabwe. (D'après De Standaard, Belgique, 10 janvier 2002) 

WEEKLY anb0110.txt - End of #9/9 - THE END

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