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Weekly anb02213.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 21-02-2002      PART #3/7
* Congo (RDC). Dozens killed in clashes - Reports from Congo say dozens of people have been killed in tribal clashes in the north-east. Rebel groups which control the area and the Ugandan army which has troops stationed there, say the fighting has been between the Hema and Lendu tribes. Up to 200 people are thought to have been killed in the latest clashes. The Rally for Congolese Democracy-Kisangani/Liberation Movement (RCD/ML) says that their troops are now in control of the situation. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 18 February 2002)
* Congo (RDC). Leader des Banyamulenge attaqué - Le lundi matin, 18 février, des hommes du Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD, soutenu par le Rwanda) ont lancé une attaque contre un leader tutsi congolais des Banyamulenge, retranché avec plusieurs centaines d'hommes dans les hauts plateaux du Sud-Kivu, place forte des Banyamulenge, a-t-on appris de sources concordantes. Ancien chef de bataillon du RCD, le commandant Masunzu était depuis plusieurs semaines considéré comme "déserteur" par les autorités de la rébellion. Les combats ont provoqué le déplacement des populations des villages de Gaseke, Rutigita et Kumani. Le 19 février, l'agence AFP annonçait la mort d'au moins 9 personnes, 6 militaires du RCD et 3 soldats de Masunzu. Ce dernier serait maintenant retranché vers la localité de Mumasha, dans les montagnes, à quatre jours de marche d'Uvira. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 février 2002)
* Congo (RDC). Dialogue en péril - Le dialogue intercongolais qui devrait s'ouvrir le 25 février à Sun City en Afrique du Sud est de plus en plus mis à mal. Un important obstacle: les listes des délégués. Lors d'une conférence de presse, le dimanche 17 février à Kinshasa, l'opposition non armée a annoncé qu'elle n'irait pas à Sun City, "sauf modification ultime des conditions de participation que lui impose le bureau du facilitateur". En cause: l'ajout, à la liste des partis politiques représentés dans la délégation de l'opposition non armée, d'une vingtaine d'autres formations considérées comme favorables au gouvernement. Le 19 février à Paris, Jean-Pierre Bemba, le chef du Mouvement de libération du Congo (MLC), s'est joint à cette prise de position. "Plusieurs sont des faux opposants et des alliés du président Joseph Kabila", a-t-il affirmé, déclarant que son mouvement n'irait pas en Afrique du Sud dans ces conditions. Il a expliqué cette absence par la mauvaise définition de la qualité des participants et du projet d'ordre du jour. Mercredi 20, à Bruxelles, M. Bemba et sa délégation se sont entretenus avec le Premier ministre belge accompagné de son ministre des Affaires étrangères. Au sortir de l'entretien, les parties se sont déclarées optimistes sur un règlement rapide du problème. Les chancelleries s'activent maintenant pour obtenir un compromis. Le Conseil de sécurité de l'Onu a demandé à toutes les parties de se rendre à Sun City dans un esprit constructif. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 21 février 2002)
* Congo (RDC). Towards the Inter-congolese Dialogue - 19 February: Jean-Pierre Bemba, leader of the rebel Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC), has said that he will not go to South Africa next week for talks intended to bring political stability to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The talks are due to include the government, rebel groups and the political opposition. The South African Government has set aside 45 days for the talks in the resort town of Sun City. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 February 2002)
* Congo (RDC). Goma: Volcano emergency over, rebuilding must start - "The emergency is over. Thanks to international aid we now have sufficient food, water and medicine to meet the needs of the people. But the problem now is rebuilding the town". Fr Patxi Otondo, a White Father or Missionary of Africa, parish priest at Our Lady of Africa parish in west Goma, refers to the situation in the Congolese city a month after the disastrous eruption of the Mt Nyiragongo on January 18). The city was devastated by 200 million cubic meters of lava spat out by the volcano's two craters. Twelve persons were swallowed up by the boiling mass; another sixty died in the explosion of a fuel deposit, sacked in the chaos of the aftermath when police lost all control of public order. Forty schools (mostly church-run) were destroyed or severely damaged, leaving 24,000 children without lessons and 700 teachers without work. Twenty percent of the city's business activities, workshops, shops, fuel deposits were destroyed by the erupting volcano or by looting. Lava also covered 1,800 meters of airport runway, leaving only a minor runway open for small craft. "We still need international help for rebuilding" Fr Ottondo tells Fides. "The situation is complicated because Goma is held by guerilla forces not recognised by the international community. Rebuilding requires massive investments, but no one will think about it until the political situation is clarified". Another source of concern is that Mt Nyiragongo may not have finished its activity. The International Red Cross Federation has warned that there may be another eruption, with the explosion of a vast quantity of natural gas resulting in a mortal cloud of carbon dioxide hanging over the city. Goma has 500,000 indwellers whose lives are still threatened by the volcano. The Church mobilized its aid forces immediately calling in Caritas offices, Medical Centres, the Religious Superiors Union, School Coordination office, Radio Maria Malkia wa Amani, coordinated by Fr J. M. Balegamire, head of the archdiocesan Crisis Committee. The eruption tragedy demonstrated the strong sense of national unity among the Congolese whose country is divided up and controlled by guerilla groups and foreign armies. (Fides, Vatican City, 20 February 2002)
* Djibouti. Menace d'une catastrophe écologique - Djibouti est menacé par une catastrophe écologique à cause de fuites, dans le port, de pesticides provenant de conteneurs arrivés de Grande-Bretagne, a indiqué la FAO à Rome le 20 février. L'organisation des Nations unies a appelé à une intervention urgente de la communauté internationale pour éviter une contamination supplémentaire du port et des personnes qui y travaillent. Le risque est que les pluies ne propagent le produit. S'il venait à se déverser dans la mer, l'impact sur la faune serait très grave. (La Croix, France, 21 février 2002)
* Egypt. Hundreds die in holiday train fire - 20 February: A passenger train crowded with Egyptians leaving Cairo for a holiday weekend caught fire as it headed south early today killing at least 300 people, police said. The death toll, earlier reported at 100, rose as rescuers searched charred carriages. Egypt's Middle East News Agency reported the cause of the fire was a burst gas cylinder used for cooking in the train cafe. Each carriage designed to accommodate about 150 passengers was crammed with some 300 passengers, police said, meaning that there were more than 3,000 people were aboard. Police said the fire broke out about 2am on the train from Cairo to Luxor, about 300 miles south. Several other carriages caught fire and the train travelled in flames for four miles before finally stopping near Ayyat. In addition to the dead, 65 people were being treated for injuries, police said. Said Fuad Amin, a 22-year-old construction worker, jumped from the burning train and was being treated for a broken hand and a suspected concussion in Ayyat Hospital. He told The Associated Press the train was so full that he and six friends had been unable to get seats and were sitting on the floor. The first sign of trouble, he said, were shouts and screams he at first attributed to a fight. Then he saw flames and people running, including a women whose clothes were on fire. (Editor's update -- 21 February: The death toll is now given as at least 373.) (The Independent, UK, 20 February 2002)
* Egypte. Incendie d'un train: plus de 370 morts - Le 20 février, tôt le matin, un train bondé de monde quittant la capitale pour un week-end férié, a pris feu alors qu'il faisait route vers le sud. C'est non loin d'Al Ayatt, à environ 70 km au sud du Caire, que s'est déroulé cette catastrophe ferroviaire, la plus grosse jamais vécue en Egypte. Elle a fait au moins 373 morts, selon le sous-secrétaire d'Etat à la Santé. Le feu a pris dans un des wagons, dû à l'explosion d'une bonbonne de gaz dans le wagon-restaurant ou à un petit réchaud utilisé par un voyageur, et s'est rapidement communiqué à d'autres voitures. Sept des seize wagons ont été détruits. De nombreux passagers de ce train reliant Le Caire à Assouan, retournaient dans leur village d'origine pour passer les fêtes d'Aïd el-Kebir, la "fête du sacrifice", considérée comme la plus importante du calendrier islamique. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 21 février 2002)
* Eritrea/Ethiopia. Religious leaders meet - 13 February: Religious leaders from Ethiopia arrive in Asmara, Eritrea's capital for peace talks with their Eritrea counterparts. Although the talks, mediated by the NGO, Norwegian Church Aid, have taken place in their countries, this is the first time the religious leaders are meeting in each other's capitals. This move represents a breakthrough in peace-building between the two countries. The ceremony in Asmara is opened by the first Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Abuna Philipos. 14 February: The religious leaders from both countries arrive in Addis Ababa for a second day of talks. The Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church describes the talks in Asmara as "wonderful". 15 February: The decision by an international commission demarcating the disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea has been delayed until the end of March. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 15 February 2002)
* Ethiopia. The country is stronger after purge - Ethiopia's prime minister said Ethiopia's government was stronger than ever after mounting a security crackdown and purging ruling party "dead wood." Meles Zenawi said in an interview on 19 February there were no "sacred cows" in a war on corruption, denied allegations of human rights abuses against political opponents and dismissed reports he had hired thousands of spies to monitor them. Meles said he had reshuffled the leadership of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition and its main pillar, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), to make them more responsive to the country's needs. "The EPRDF was cleansing itself of some dead wood it had accumulated over a decade... Like all cleansing processes it tends to be turbulent while it is taking place but in hindsight it appears more of a storm in a teacup," he said. "The EPRDF is now on more solid ground than it ever was." (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 February 2002)
* Ghana. $20 million rice scandal - Former Vice-President of Ghana John Atta Mills has testified in the country's High Court in a $20 million rice plantation case. Five government officials in the administration of former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings currently on trial over the loss of project funds, include two former ministers and the chief of staff at the presidency. The money was allegedly given to an African-American business woman from the US-based company, Quality Grain, to cultivate rice. Professor John Atta Mills, who is currently a visiting scholar at the University of British Columbia in Canada flew home to give evidence in favour of the former finance minister, Mr Kwame Pepra. He told a packed high court on 20 February that in a country where $4 million is spent annually on the importation of rice, the administration was eager to see that rice was cultivated locally in viable commercial conditions. Professor Mills said that the government was so desperate to secure an endurable asset for rice cultivation that they were even prepared for Mrs Juliet Cotton, the African-American, who initiated the scheme to "walk over us if that is what facilitates the project". However, he was not satisfied with her conduct, he said, sighting her "rudeness" and some of her demands which made him "uncomfortable". He admitted that in 1998 the report from the Serious Fraud Office alleged fraud on the part of Mrs Cotton with the assistance of two of the defendants. But the investigators failed to produce any evidence, on which Professor Mills could take any action. (BBC News, UK, 21 February 2002)
* Liberia. Droits humains - Le 13 février au soir, le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies a lancé un appel au gouvernement libérien, l'invitant à respecter les droits humains et à s'abstenir de profiter de la situation d'exception née de l'instauration de l'état d'urgence, pour restreindre les libertés civiles. Le Conseil a déploré la violence qui sévit dans le pays et dit sa préoccupation au regard de la situation humanitaire qui y prévaut. Il a exhorté les pays de la sous-région à empêcher les groupes armés et les individus d'utiliser leur territoire comme base arrière pour attaquer leurs voisins, et a lancé un appel à tous les Libériens les priant de renoncer à la violence et de résoudre leurs différends par la voie du dialogue. En fait, selon l'agence Misna, la condition des civils continue d'empirer. Suite aux affrontements survenus la semaine passée à Klay Town (35 km de la capitale) entre rebelles du LURD et troupes gouvernementales, un grand nombre d'habitants ont pris la fuite, les uns se dirigeant vers la Sierra Leone, les autres vers Monrovia, où ils ont été accueillis dans des camps d'urgence. Dans la capitale même, la police a créé un climat d'intimidation par des perquisitions dans les maisons et des arrestations aveugles dans les rues. - Le 20 février, des responsables militaires ont annoncé qu'au moins 15.000 civils ont quitté la capitale Monrovia, fuyant les combats entre forces gouvernementales et rebelles. La veille, les rebelles avaient attaqué les villes de Heindi et Bong Mines, situées toutes deux à environ 35 km au nord-est de Monrovia, mais avaient été repoussés, selon les autorités. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 février 2002)
* Liberia. UN plea for civilians - 14 February: The UN Security Council has called on the Liberian government and rebels to ensure the safety of civilians trapped by the renewed conflict. Reports said that council members backed Secretary General Kofi Annan's appeal to all Liberians to resolve their differences through dialogue, not violence. Thousands of Liberians have fled the latest fighting, which erupted last week when rebels attacked a town just 35km north of the capital Monrovia. -- President Charles Taylor has protested a "conspiracy of silence" by the international community, and calls on world leaders to use their influence to help end the insurrection. 15 February: Gunfire and unrest is continuing north of Monrovia. The residents of Monrovia are frightened and trying to work out what is going on. 20 February: A senior UN official says the international community should put aside any differences it has with the government of Liberia to come to the assistance of some 60,000 people caught in the military unrest. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 February 2002)
* Libya. Closing submissions - 14 February: New evidence presented to the appeal of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing points to a miscarriage of justice, according to his lawyer. Bill Taylor, QC for Abdelbasset ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, told five judges that doubt had been cast on the verdict. Mr Taylor QC, said new evidence raised the possibility that the bomb which exploded on Pan Am flight 103, had been placed on the aircraft at Heathrow and not in Malta, as the trial judges had concluded. Mr Taylor said it was regrettable that evidence made available at the appeal at Camp Zeish had not been disclosed at the trial. He said there was "strong circumstantial evidence" that a security breach allowed access to a baggage handling area at Heathrow three hours before the plane took off for New York. Defence and prosecution lawyers are giving their closing submissions in the appeal, today. The five judges are expected to retire to consider their decision, which is likely to take about three weeks. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 14 February 2002) 

Weekly anb0221.txt - #3/7