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Weekly anb01106.txt #9

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 10-01-2002      PART #6/9
* Nigeria. Abacha family repays $150 million - The Nigerian authorities say the family of the late military ruler, Sani Abacha, has returned about $150m to the government. A statement issued by a spokesman for President Olusegun Obasanjo said the payment was made two weeks ago from a frozen Abacha family bank account in Luxembourg. General Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his sudden death in 1998, is alleged to have embezzled some $3bn of public money. He is said to have diverted the funds into secret bank accounts --mainly in Britain, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as Luxembourg. Nigeria has been pursuing a series of legal actions to regain the money. (BBC News, UK, 3 January 2002)
* Nigeria. Nigeria Airways halves workforce - Nigeria Airways is sacking nearly half its staff in a last-ditch attempt to put its house in order and prepare for privatisation. In a statement, the airline said it was getting rid of 1,000 of its 2,300 employees, and promised they would be receive redundancy payments within three months. The airline, which has only two planes, called its actions "a major right-sizing exercise". It said the staff had been "rationalised as a result of Federal Government efforts to put the airline on line again". A panel appointed by the government to look into privatisation recommended the mass layoffs last year. But analysts said it remained an open question as to whether the airline could ever be put back together. There are deep differences between the minister of aviation, the bureau of public enterprises -- which has overall responsibility for privatisations -- unions, advisers and the company itself over how to proceed. (BBC News, UK, 4 January 2002)
* Nigeria. Insecurity to lives and corruption permeate Nigeria - In their New Year messages, Nigeria's Catholic Bishops have described the recurring destruction of human lives, corruption and other vices that have been the vogue in the last year, as a looming catastrophe for Nigerians in general, and the Catholic faithful in particular in the new year. The Bishops say the Nation will progress in the new year, only if Nigerians in high places can rid themselves of corruption. At the same time, the government must impose severe penalties on corrupt and undisciplined officials. The government has shirked its primary duty of protecting lives and property. Things are even worse today than in the period preceding civilian government. (Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, 4 January 2002)
* Nigeria. Pendaison - Le 3 janvier, un homme de 27 ans, condamné pour le meurtre d'une femme et de ses deux enfants, a été pendu dans le nord du Nigeria en application de la sharia (loi islamique). A la suite de graves émeutes interreligieuses, la justice a préféré cette sanction à une condamnation à être poignardé comme ses victimes. Les non-musulmans s'opposent en effet à la loi islamique, en raison de la dureté de ses sanctions. Ces derniers mois, au moins deux personnes ont été condamnées à mort pour crimes sexuels. Elles ont interjeté appel. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 janvier 2002)
* Nigeria. Woman who was raped, faces death by stoning - Fears are growing for a Nigerian woman condemned to be stoned to death for adultery after a murderer was hanged in the first execution under sharia law. Sani Yakubu Rodi was hanged in prison in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna on 3 January. He had originally been sentenced to execution by stabbing -- the method he used to kill a woman and her two children in June last year. But sharia authorities changed their mind to avoid triggering widespread outrage in Nigeria, where the implementation of strict Islamic law in some Muslim-dominated northern states over the past two years has provoked riots. The case of Sufiyatu Huseini, 35, now rests with an appeal court. She was condemned to death by stoning by a sharia court in the northern town of Sokoto in June. The sentence would have been fulfilled as soon as she had weaned her 11-month-old daughter, Adama, but she appealed and has secured a stay of execution. (The Independent, UK, 5 January 2002
* Nigeria. Autres affrontements communautaires - Plus de 50 personnes ont été tuées au cours de plusieurs affrontements liés à un conflit foncier entre agriculteurs autochtones et soi-disant "colons", la semaine passée dans l'est du Nigeria, a annoncé un responsable officiel le 7 janvier. Les affrontements les plus récents se sont déroulés le 5 janvier, quand des jeunes de la communauté Mambilla ont attaqué trois communautés de l'ethnie Peuhl dans la zone montagneuse du Plateau de Mambilla, dans l'Etat de Taraba. Ces affrontements sont la suite de précédents heurts à Gembu (est) la semaine dernière, au cours desquels plus de 50 personnes avaient été tuées. (Le Soir, Belgique, 8 janvier 2002)
* Nigeria. Senior Nigerian aide found dead - Nigerian radio has reported that a senior aide to the chief justice has been found dead, two weeks after the justice minister was murdered. SA Awonusi's body was reportedly found on 8 January in broad daylight, lying in a pool of blood on a path in the centre of the federal capital, Abuja. Quoting local radio reports, the AFP news agency said he had been stabbed in the back. His death came two weeks after Justice Minister Bola Ige was shot dead in his home by unidentified gunmen. It is not known why either man was killed, but the minister had become involved in a struggle for power between two different factions in south-western Osun state. Mr Awonusi was confidential secretary to the country's most senior judge and head of the Supreme Court, Muhammadu Uwais. Police said the aide had flown up to Abuja on 7 January morning from his home in Lagos. The same day, police released the name of a man they want to question over the murder of Justice Minister Ige at his home in Ibadan in southwest Nigeria's Osun state. A statement said that Damola Elubode Adebayo, alias Frayo, had gone "underground since the heinous crime was committed". No details were given of his alleged connection to the murder on 23 December, which shocked Nigerians and was linked by the government to a local political feud. (BBC News, UK, 8 January 2002)
* Rwanda. FPR et nouveau drapeau - Le parti au pouvoir, le Front patriotique rwandais (FPR), a élu le 23 décembre un nouveau comité directeur, a-t-on appris le 2 janvier. Christophe Bazivamo est devenu vice-président, alors que le secrétaire général, Charles Murigande, conserve ses fonctions, ainsi que le chef de l'Etat, Paul Kagame, qui reste président du FPR. -D'autre part, depuis le 31 décembre, les autorités rwandaises ont adopté officiellement un nouveau drapeau et un nouvel hymne national. Le nouveau drapeau présente des bandes horizontales en vert, jaune et bleu et est frappé d'un soleil jaune. (La Libre Belgique, 3 janvier 2002)
* Rwanda. Arrestations - Appel de HRW - Selon La Libre Belgique du 5 janvier, le secrétaire général du Mouvement démocratique républicain (MDR), parti membre de l'actuel coalition gouvernementale, a été arrêté le 2 janvier par la police rwandaise. Pierre Gakwandi est détenu pour avoir rédigé un article dans le dernier numéro du bimensuel proche de l'opposition, Le partisan, a indiqué la police. M. Gakwandi s'est notamment rendu coupable de"sectarisme, divisionnisme et diffamation envers des personnalités publiques et politiques". Principale formation à dominante hutu, deuxième parti en importance après le FPR (au pouvoir), le MDR compte 12 députés sur 70 à l'Assemblée nationale et deux portefeuilles au gouvernement. Précisons que les partis politiques ne sont pas autorisés à tenir des réunions publiques, ce qui limite leur existence à celle de coteries. - Le 9 janvier, Human Rights Watch a adressé un appel aux autorités rwandaises pour qu'elles lancent immédiatement une enquête sur le meurtre, le 26 décembre, de Gratien Munyarubuga, l'un des fondateurs du mouvement d'opposition, le Parti démocratique pour le renouveau - Ubuyanja, et qu'elles mettent fin au harcèlement d'autres membres de l'opposition et des représentants de la presse. Depuis ce meurtre, les autorités ont détenu prisonnier et interrogé Pasteur Bizimungu, ancien président du Rwanda et figure de proue du parti Ubuyanja, ainsi qu'un autre membre d'Ubuyanja, trois personnes associées au parti MDR, et un journaliste qui a rapporté les événements. "La police devrait concentrer son énergie dans la poursuite des assassins de Munyarubuga, plutôt que dans l'intimidation des personnes dont ils ne partagent pas les idées", a affirmé Alison Des Forges, conseillère à la division Afrique de HRW. Ces dernières semaines, la police a détenu plusieurs personnes qui avaient cherché à rendre visite à Bizimungu, auquel on avait interdit, en juin dernier, d'établir un nouveau parti politique. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 janvier 2002)
* Rwanda/Angola. Rwanda seeks closer ties with Angola - Rwandan President Paul Kagame has called for closer links between his country and Angola. Mr Kagame is on a two-day visit to the Angolan capital, Luanda -- his first since the outbreak of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in which Angola backs the government side and Rwanda the rebels. Mr Kagame has said that peace has to be achieved in the region. He is holding talks with his Angolan counterpart Jose Eduardo dos Santos aimed at ending the Congolese conflict. Rwanda denied Congolese government allegations last month that it has been reinforcing its military presence there. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 January 2002)
* Rwanda/Belgique. Les pourvois rejetés - La Cour de cassation de Belgique a rejeté mercredi 9 janvier les pourvois interjetés par soeur Maria Kisito, soeur Gertrude et Alphonse Higaniro, après leur condamnation prononcée par la Cour d'assises de Bruxelles-Capitale le 8 juin dernier. Différents moyens avaient été invoqués dans les mémoires écrits déposés par Me Pierre Van Ommeslaghe, pour les deux soeurs, et par Me Raf Verstraeten, pour Alphonse Higaniro. Ce rejet rend définitifs les arrêts de la Cour d'assises. Seule reste possible une procédure devant la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme à Strasbourg laquelle, même si elle jugeait le procès inéquitable, ne renverserait cependant pas la condamnation. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 janvier 2002)
* Sahara occidental. 115 prisonniers libérés - Le 2 janvier, le Front Polisario a annoncé qu'il s'apprêtait à libérer, en signe de bonne volonté, 115 prisonniers de guerre marocains détenus depuis le début du conflit du Sahara occidental, il y a un quart de siècle. Le mouvement indépendantiste sahraoui rappelle que cela portera à 900 le nombre de prisonniers de guerre libérés sans contrepartie. Ces nouvelles libérations ont été décidées à la demande du gouvernement espagnol à l'occasion de la fin du ramadan et du début de la nouvelle année. On estime que le Polisario détiendrait encore jusqu'à 1.200 militaires marocains. (La Libre Belgique, 3 janvier 2002)
* Senegal. Leopold Senghor - The founding father of independent Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor, died on 20 December 2001, at the age of 95. Mr Senghor, who was the country's first president after it gained independence from France, died at home in France, a presidential spokesman said in Senegal. As one of the first African leaders to allow democracy and a free press, Mr Senghor was a pioneer. He was also one of the first African presidents to retire gracefully. In 1981 after 20 years in power he handed over to his prime minister. Mr Senghor lived long enough to see one remarkable result of his political liberalism. In the year 2000 in a thoroughly democratic election in Senegal, the long standing opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade, who had been a thorn in Senghor's side for many years, won the presidency. Such an event is still unthinkable in most African countries where authoritarianism is the rule. A poet and scholar when not being a politician, he was the first black African to join the elite French literary institute, the Academie Française. His critics said he was too close to Senegal's former colonial power, France, and taunted him for being a black Frenchman rather than an African. He replied that a very poor country like Senegal needs powerful friends, even neo-colonial ones. Leopold Sedar Senghor left a legacy of free thinking and free debate in Senegal -- a legacy which still marks it out as a very unusual African state. (BBC News, UK, 21 December 2001) 

WEEKLY anb0110.txt - End of #6/9