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Weekly anb03145.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 14-03-2002      PART #5/7
* Nigeria. Police chief sacked - President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed Nigeria's police chief Inspector Musiliu Smith, replacing him with the head of police in northern Nigeria. The dismissal announced on 6 March at the end of an emergency meeting of the Police Council, presided over by President Obasanjo and attended by Vice President Atiku Abubakar and some state governors, came five weeks after junior police officers went on strike over pay. Inspector General Smith has been replaced by Mr Tafa Balogun, the general inspector in the capital, Abuja, who has been in the force for over 25 years. The government says the public has lost confidence in the police. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 7 March 2002)
* Nigeria. Council of Europe plea on death sentence - Europe's top human rights body has urged Nigeria not to allow the stoning to death of a woman convicted of having a child out of wedlock, calling the penalty "barbaric.". In an appeal on the eve of International Women's Day, the plight of Safiya Hussaini Tangar-Tudu illustrates how women suffer abuses in many countries. She was convicted by an Islamic court in northern Nigeria in October and sentenced to be stoned to death while buried up to her waist in sand.The Council of Europe's Secretary-General, Walter Schwimmer, has appealed to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to commute her death sentence. He also urged his European colleagues to join him in the fight for women's rights in all parts of the world. "International organisations, governments and religious authorities must do everything in their power to change both laws and attitudes and to bring an end to such barbaric practices," he added. The 43-member Council of Europe is the continent's premier human rights watchdog and the guardian of the 1952 European Convention of Human Rights, which bans the death penalty. Hussaini's execution was postponed on 2 March after Obasanjo intervened amid pressure from the international community. Hussaini's case was also discussed at a women's rights conference at the European Parliament in Brussels on 6 March. (CNN, USA, 7 March 2002)
* Nigeria. Students killed - At least two students have been killed in Nigeria after a rally by the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). They were shot dead by police in the south-eastern town of Warri. Violence broke out when students began protesting at the rally and were attacked by PDP supporters, according to eye-witnesses. Last month, President Olusegun Obasanjo warned that violence threatened to engulf the country and derail democracy. At least 10,000 people have been killed in religious and ethnic violence since Mr Obasanjo was elected to power in 1999, ending years of military rule. New presidential elections are due next year. Mr Obasanjo has not yet said if he will stand for re-election. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 March 2002)
* Nigeria. Affrontements pour propriété foncière - Au moins 40 personnes sont mortes durant des affrontements en rapport avec la propriété de terres agricoles qui se sont produits il y a une semaine entre communautés Apiapum et Ufatura, dans le conseil local d'Obubra de l'Etat de Cross River (sud-est du Nigeria), ont informé les autorités policières le 8 mars. La police a interpellé plus de 500 personnes et en recherchait d'autres considérées comme les cerveaux des affrontements. Elle a aussi invité les victimes des violences, dont beaucoup sont des commerçants basés à Apiapum, à fournir des informations sur les pertes qui s'élèveraient à environ 5 milliards de nairas (plus de 43 millions de dollars). Le Nigeria est frappé par de nombreux incidents d'affrontements communautaires en rapport avec des disputes d'ordre ethnique, religieux ou foncier, depuis que le président Obasanjo a été élu en 1999. Les responsables gouvernementaux ont parfois attribué les troubles à des ex-officiers militaires qui chercheraient à discréditer la démocratie. (IRIN, Lagos, 11 mars 2002)
* Rwanda. Conférence sur le système juridique - Une conférence sur l'étude et la réforme du système juridique réunissant des experts venus du monde entier s'est ouverte le dimanche 10 mars à Kigali. La conférance, organisée conjointement par la Commission rwandaise chargée de la réforme juridique et par l'ambassade américaine, "vise à comparer le système des lois rwandaises avec celui des autres pays afin d'identifier les éléments pouvant être le mieux adaptés dans le contexte rwandais", indique un communiqué du cabinet du président. Parmi les participants figurent des spécialistes venus de l'Argentine, du Burundi, du Cameroun, du Canada, du Kenya, de l'île Maurice, du Sénégal, d'Afrique du Sud, de Tanzanie et des USA. (IRIN, Nairobi, 12 mars 2002)
* Rwanda. Deux accusés transférés au TPIR - L'ancien officier de l'ex-armée rwandaise et membre du Parlement, le colonel Aloys Simba, et l'ex-maire de Gikoro (centre-est), Paul Bisengimana, ont été transférés lundi soir, 11 mars, au quartier pénitentiaire du tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR). Les deux accusés sont poursuivis séparément pour génocide et crimes contre l'humanité en 1994. L'ex-officier a été arrêté au Sénégal le 27 novembre dernier, tandis que l'ex-maire a été arrêté au Mali le 4 décembre. Les deux s'étaient opposés à leur extradition au TPIR, mais ils ont été déboutés par les tribunaux des pays dans lesquels ils ont été arrêtés. (Agence Hirondelle, Arusha, 12 mars 2002)
* Rwanda. Bilan des condamnations - De fin 1996 à fin 2001, 660 personnes accusées de participation au génocide de 1994 ont été condamnées à la peine capitale par les tribunaux rwandais, selon la Ligue rwandaise pour la promotion et la défense des droits de l'homme. Au cours de la même période, 1.795 accusés ont été condamnés à la prison à perpétuité, et 2.566 acquittés faute de preuves de leur participation au génocide. Les tribunaux ont jugé un total de 6.454 accusés de génocide au cours de cette période. Les prisons rwandaises abritent quelque 115.000 détenus accusés de participation au génocide qui a fait, selon le gouvernement rwandais, un million de morts parmi la minorité tutsi et chez les Hutu modérés. (Le Soir, Belgique, 14 mars 2002)
* Sao Tome e Principe. Opposition wins by 51 votes - The main opposition party of Sao Tome e Principe has won the general election by 51 votes. The opposition Force for Change Democratic Movement had been trailing the ruling Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome e Principe by 68 votes after last week's election, with one district left to report election results. The Folha Fede district, which boycotted last week's election to protest poor public infrastructure, repeated its ballot on 10 March, and gave the opposition party 15,531 votes compared to the ruling party's 15,470. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 2002)
* Senegal. African environmentalists hold talks - Environmentalist politicians from Africa have been meeting Dakar, in an effort to inject new life into Africa's green movements. The Federation of African Ecological Parties was created in 1998, but has since been unable to function efficiently, because of political instability, lack of resources, and the inexperience of member-parties which are relatively young. The outgoing secretary-general of the Federation, Adamou Garba, who is head of the Green Party in Niger, said the greatest challenges facing the Green movement in Africa are chronic poverty, desertification and pollution. (BBC News, UK, 9 March 2002)
* Sierra Leone. Plan de paix sous-régional - La Guinée, le Liberia et la Sierra Leone, qui sont membres de l'Union du fleuve Mano (UFM), ont signé à Freetown un plan de paix, après deux jours de discussions sur le rétablissement de la paix dans la sous-région, a-t-on appris le 8 mars. Dans un communiqué à l'issue de la rencontre dans la capitale sierra-léonaise, les participants ont exprimé leur accord pour collaborer afin d'éradiquer la rébellion dans la sous-région par des moyens conformes aux normes internationales. Un comité d'experts se réunira le 13 mars pour constituer une structure judiciaire qui traitera des affaires relatives aux mouvements rebelles dans le bassin de l'UFM. Chaque pays membre soumettra à ses voisins une liste de personnes vivant sur leurs territoires et souçonnées d'être des rebelles, pour permettre d'intenter une action à travers cette structure judiciaire. Les trois pays ont aussi mandaté un comité stratégique pour entamer la première phase du déploiement de forces de sécurité le long de leurs frontières communes. (PANA, Sénégal, 8 mars 2002)
* Sierra Leone. Voters registration completed - Voter-registration for the 14 May 2002 presidential and parliamentary elections has been completed. 2,276,518 eligible voters have so far fully registered with the National Electoral Commission to cast their ballots in the election. Provisional voters' rosters will remain open from 9-13 March for challenges and rectification. There will not be any extension to voters' registration. -- President Tejan Kabbah has officially announced that he will seek a 2nd five-year term in office. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 2002)
* Sierra Leone. Préparation des élections - L'inscription des électeurs pour les élections présidentielle et législatives du 14 mai prochain est achevée, a confirmé, le dimanche 10 mars à Freetown, le Commissaire électoral national, Walter Nicol. Il a indiqué que 2.276.518 personnes en droit de voter se sont inscrites. Les listes provisoires resteront affichées du 9 au 13 mars pour des rectifications après d'éventuelles réclamations. M. Nicol a reconnu certaines imperfections dans le cadre des inscriptions, mais les a qualifiées d'insignifiantes. D'autre part, le samedi, le président Ahmed Tejan Kabbah a officiellement annoncé sa candidature à l'élection présidentielle pour un deuxième mandat de cinq ans. (PANA, Sénégal, 11 mars 2002)
* Sierra Leone. Sankoh murder trial begins - Sierra Leone rebel leader Foday Sankoh and 49 members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) have appeared in court to answer charges of murder. The charges were brought last week, after a state of emergency enabling the government to detain the accused without trial was lifted. Most of the civil war's atrocities will be dealt with by a United Nations special court. But this case relates to an incident in May 2000, when Mr Sankoh supporters allegedly killed 21 protesters after a peace deal had been signed. There were concerns that former members of the RUF might clash with pro-government supporters. But the court was cordoned off by armed police and everything went smoothly. The main defendant looked frail and bemused as he stood in the dock with his RUF colleagues. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 March 2002)
* Somalie. Pas le réfuge idéal - Les clans qui s'y affrontent et l'idéologie pragmatique de sa population font de la Somalie un refuge tout sauf idéal pour les militants d'Al-Qaïda, mais les services de renseignements américains restent à l'affût des activités terroristes de ce pays troublé de la Corne de l'Afrique, ont déclaré le 8 mars plusieurs responsables américains. De petits nombres de Somalis qui ont combattu dans les rangs d'Al-Qaïda sont retournés en Afghanistan depuis que la guerre y a recommencé, ont-ils précisé. Mais la Somalie reste un carrefour d'opérations terroristes contre les intérêts américains en Afrique de l'Est, a estimé l'un d'eux. L'armée a multiplié les vols de surveillance au dessus de la Somalie ces derniers mois et le personnel américain est en contact avec de potentiels alliés locaux. (AP,US, 9 mars 2002)
* Somalia. Security Council debates reconciliation - After a closed-door session on Somalia on 11 March, the UN Security Council held an extensive open debate on the situation in the country. Over 20 countries took part in the meeting which, among other issues, discussed "ways of promoting the national reconciliation process". Jordan's ambassador to the UN, Zeid Ra'ad Zeid, who spoke on behalf of the Arab group of states, underscored the importance of the Arta process (which set up the Transitional National Government), while at the same urging support for the interim government "in its efforts to promote a comprehensive reconciliation process and national unity". Zeid called on the Council to send a fact-finding mission to Somalia to begin the process of "setting up an observation mechanism to verify the arms embargo", imposed by Security Council resolution 733 in 1992. (IRIN, Kenya, 12 March 2002)
* Somalia. Proposal to end bank misery - Somalia has suggested that a United States Bank should take over the operations of the al-Barakaat financial network, shut down by Washington for alleged terrorism links. Al-Barakaat was used by Somalis overseas to send money home to relatives, and many families have struggled as a result of the decision. Mr Yusuf Hassan Ibrahim said on 11 March that "the idea is to establish a mechanism for the unfreezing of thousands of individual account holders who have no links to al Qaeda". (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 March 2002)
* South Africa. Land reform proceeds slowly - Under the shadows of South Africa's beautiful Soutpansberg Mountains, a community is celebrating its release from 40 years of pain. Land that was taken from villagers by force under apartheid is being returned. A ceremony to mark the occasion is held on a football field. Old women dance with joy, men covered in animal skins blow into antelope horns. South Africa's Minister of Land, Dr Thoko Didiza, is the guest of honour. Her government says it is committed to speeding up the process of land redistribution. Just as in neighbouring Zimbabwe, it is the white minority that currently owns the majority of fertile land. The ANC Government says it wants justice for the millions of black people who were forced into crowded homelands during the apartheid years. But Dr Didiza says there will be none of the forced seizures which have characterised land redistribution in neighbouring Zimbabwe during the past two years. (BBC News, UK, 8 March 2002) 

Weekly anb0314.txt -  End of part 5/7