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Weekly anb03216.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 21-03-2002      PART #6/7
* Nigeria. Government declares Sharia illegal - About two years since the Islamic legal code the Sharia, was adopted for implementation by some northern states of Nigeria, the civilian regime of President Olusegun Obasaanjo has formally declared the move illegal. "Indeed, according to the government, further implementation of the Sharia will amount to questioning the very existence of Nigeria", the Attorney- General of Nigeria and Minister of Justice, Mr. Kanu Agabi, SAN, stated in a letter circulated to all the state governors in the northern part of Nigeria practicing the Sharia. The Minister's letter dated March18, 2002 read, "the fact that the Sharia law applies to only Moslems or those who elect to be bound by it makes it imperative that the rights of such persons equally with other citizens under the constitution be not infringed. A Moslem should not be subjected to a punishment more severe than would be imposed on other Nigerians for the same offence.'' The letter stated further that equality before the law means Moslems should not be discriminated against. And as elected state governors, I am certain that you would not tolerate such disparity in the allocation of punishments. It is not only against the constitution but also against equity and good conscience." Minister Agabi who declared that the letter to the governors were necessitated by several hundreds of petitions from Moslems resident in the states where Sharia is in practice added that punishments imposed by the religious law on offenders violate some sections of the 1999 constitution. Therefore, "states and individuals must comply with the constitution," he said, while decrying any legal system which imposes discriminatory punishments as deliberately flouting the constitution" and that, "the stability, unity and integrity of the nation is threatened". Mr Agabi appealed to the governors to secure a workable panacea of all criminal laws in their states so that the courts will not be obliged to impose punishments which derogate from he rights of Moslems under the constitution. He also urged them "not to allow your zeal for justice and transparency to undermine the fundamental law of the nation which is the constitution'. The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, CBCN, during their last audience with President Obasanjo in February had reaffirmed as they have done many times before that "the non- adoption of any religion as a state religion or giving preferential treatment to one religion, promotes the principle of equality of all religions before the law. Given the existence of the multi religious groups with divergent interests in the country, the violation of the secular nature of our nation cannot occur without grave threats to peace and stability". The Bishops in their memo to the president emphasized also that, "the adoption and the full implementation of Sharia law by some states in the northern part of Nigeria is a flagrant violation of the secular nature of the Nigerian nation. Its introduction and extension into the domain of criminal law have given rise to the trampling of the rights of innocent and law abiding citizens, who cannot seek redress in law courts on accounts of well-founded fear of threats to their lives and property, and those of their families". They appealed that in the interest of national peace and harmony, the federal government should heed the "loud and just opposition of many Nigerian Christians and others to the imposition of the Sharia as state law". In an interview with the Director of Communications of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Fr Emmanuel Badejo after the news broke the President of CBCN Most Rev. John Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja wondered why it took the Government two full years to see what every honest Nigeria saw right from the beginning. In those two years he said lives and limbs have been lost and property destroyed while government waited. He however welcomed the development saying that there is some consolation in the feeling that the fight and sacrifice of the past twenty-four months have not been in vain. He urged the government to be more courageous in living up to its responsibilities in future. (Peter Ajayi Dada, ANB-BIA, Nigeria, 21 March 2002
* Sao Tome e Principe. Former Marxists win vote - A former Marxist party has won a majority of seats in elections in the West African archipelago of Sao Tome e Principe, the country's supreme court has ruled. Preliminary results had put the former Marxist Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome e Principe (MLSTP) neck and neck with the Democratic Movement of Forces for Change (MDFM) of President Fradique de Menezes, with 23 seats each in the 55-seat parliament. But the supreme court said the MLSTP had taken an extra seat thanks to a re-run of the ballot in a small district where the original vote had had to be cancelled. The party's victory means that the next prime minister in the former Portuguese colony is now expected to come from its ranks. The MLSTP was the country's sole political party between 1975 and 1991. It had an absolute majority in the outgoing parliament, but was excluded from government after President de Menezes was inaugurated last year. Correspondents say the result is a blow to Mr de Menezes, who had set his hopes on forming his own government. The president, a wealthy cocoa exporter, was elected in July 2001 with 65% of the vote. (BBC News, UK, 19 March 2002)
* Sénégal/UE. Pêche: reprise des négociations - Les négociations pour un éventuel renouvellement des accords de pêche entre le Sénégal et l'Union européenne devaient rependre le 19 mars à Bruxelles. Le précédent accord, qui avait expiré le 31 décembre 2001, n'avait pas été prorogé en raison de divergences entre le Sénégal et l'UE, notamment sur les limites des zones de pêche et la période de repos biologique. (Le Figaro, France, 20 mars 2002)
* Sudan. Garang in Washington - 16 March: The commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, John Garang -- on his first visit to Washington in three years -- has met the American Secretary of State, Colin Powell. The two men said they were optimistic about the prospects of ending the two decades of civil war in Sudan. But Mr Garang said that, while he felt there was a momentum for peace, he did not trust the Sudanese government to stick to various agreements to limit the conflict. He said it was important that the US remained engaged in Sudan, both in political negotiations for peace and with its humanitarian aid. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 March 2002)
* Soudan. Un dirigeant d'Al-Qaida détenu? - Un haut responsable d'Al-Qaida, qui figure sur la liste des 22 terroristes les plus recherchés par les Etats-Unis, Abou Anas Ali-Libi, est détenu au Soudan, a rapporté, mardi 19 mars, le Washington Post, confirmant ainsi l'information publiée ce week-end par le Sunday Times de Londres. Dans un premier temps, dimanche, une source anonyme de la présidence soudanaise avait démenti cette révélation. Selon le quotidien américain, Washington, qui tient Ali-Libi pour responsable de deux attentats meurtriers perpétrés en 1998 contre deux de ses ambassades en Afrique de l'Est, négocierait "depuis un mois" le transfert en Egypte de l'islamiste capturé, pays où il serait plus accessible aux enquêteurs américains. Ali-Libi est également soupçonné d'avoir organisé une tentative d'assassinat en 1995 contre le président égyptien Hosni Moubarak, indique le journal. Il serait le premier homme figurant sur la liste dressée le 10 octobre par George Bush à être arrêté et le plus haut responsable du réseau d'Oussama Ben Laden à être capturé depuis le début de la "guerre antiterroriste" engagée par les Etats-Unis. (Ndlr -Dans son édition du 20 mars, le Washington Post a toutefois affirmé que le militant détenu au Soudan n'est pas Abou Anas Ali-Libi, mais bien une personne relativement haut placée dans l'entourage de Ben Laden). (Le Monde, France, 20 mars 2002)
* Swaziland. Threatened by starvation - Swaziland has appealed for urgent food aid for 200,000 people who are on the verge of starvation. The country's National Disaster Task Force says that nearly 40% of the population are at risk of dying following this year's poor harvest. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 March 2002)
* Tanzania. Radar sale threatens aid - A £10 million aid payment to Tanzania has been withheld by the UK's International Development Secretary, Clare Short, because of its plans to buy a UK-built military air traffic control system. The decision threatens to re-open a cabinet row over he sale of the £28 million BAe Systems device, which was approved with the reward of an export licence last December. Ms Short said Tanzania could have opted for an adequate alternative which cost a quarter of the price. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 March 2002)
* Togo. President frees opposition leader - 15 March: The authorities in Togo have released a leading opposition figure, Yawovi Agboyibo, from prison where he has spent most of the past nine months. Mr Agboyibo looked well but thin when he returned home to be greeted by friends and supporters. He said he had been taken completely by surprise when the state prosecutor came to the jail on the night of 14 March, and drove him home himself. President Gnassingbe Eyadema said he had decided to free Mr Agboyibo in the interests of national reconciliation. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 March 2002)
* Togo. Libération d'Agboyibo - Le président du Comité d'action pour le renouveau (CAR, un des partis d'opposition), Me Yaowi Agboyibo, emprisonné depuis le 3 août 2001 à Lomé, a été libéré le jeudi 14 mars dans la soirée, à la demande du président Eyadema. Le 3 août 2001, Me Agboyibo avait été condamné à six mois de prison ferme dans une affaire en diffamation qui l'opposait au Premier ministre Kodjo. Le 29 août, il avait été inculpé de nouveau dans une autre affaire de "complicité et regroupement de malfaiteurs". Le premier jugement avait été cassé le 10 janvier dernier par la cour d'appel pour vice de procédure, mais Me Agboyibo avait déjà purgé la totalité de sa peine. Il a été cependant maintenu en prison dans le cadre de la deuxième affaire. Ralliant l'opposition togolaise, des voix s'étaient élevées dans le monde entier pour réclamer sa libération. Le 15 mars, Me Agboyibo s'est déclaré prêt à reprendre sa place au sein du Comité paritaire de suivi (CPS) "pour oeuvrer à débloquer la situation politique au Togo". Le CPS est une structure de concertation mise en place par la médiation internationale pour rapprocher les points de vue entre le régime d'Eyadema et son opposition en vue de l'organisation d'élections législatives anticipées. Le 18 mars, on apprenait de sources concordantes dans la capitale togolaise, que des timides tractations étaient en cours à Lomé entre la majorité présidentielle et l'opposition en vue de la reprise du dialogue. (PANA, Sénégal, 14-18 mars 2002)
* Tunisie. Condamnation à Strasbourg - Le 14 mars, le Parlement européen a adopté à l'unanimité une résolution qui demande aux autorités tunisiennes de mettre un terme à toutes les mesures d'intimidation vis-à-vis des défenseurs des droits de l'homme et de leurs familles et de lever toutes les entraves aux libertés de circulation, d'expression, d'information, d'association et au droit à l'engagement politique au sein d'un parti. Dans une allusion au procès expéditif de trois militants du Parti communiste des ouvriers tunisiens, le Parlement européen exprime son soutien aux personnalités, associations et organisations tunisiennes ainsi que les avocats qui ont pris position en faveur du droit. -- De son côté, rapporte l'AFP, dans un discours à la Nation marquant la célébration du 46e anniversaire de l'indépendance, le président Zine El Abidine Ben Ali a souligné mercredi 20 mars sa détermination à conforter les libertés et les droits de l'homme en Tunisie. Alors que son régime fait régulièrement l'objet de critiques de la part de plusieurs ONG de défense des droits de l'homme, le chef de l'Etat tunisien considère que "la démocratie et le pluralisme constituent aujourd'hui une réalité palpable dans notre pays". (Le Soir, Belgique, 16 mars, et AFP, 20 mars 2002)
* Ouganda. Mise en garde contre fraude électorale - M. Eriya Kategaya, premier vice-Premier ministre et ministre de l'Intérieur, a averti le président Museveni que la violence et la fraude électorales persistantes pourraient ternir la réputation du système de gouvernement de l'Ouganda. Cette déclaration de M. Kategaya, un confident de longue date de M. Museveni, intervient à la suite de nombreuses pétitions déposées contre les membres du Parlement qui soutiennent le système de "non-parti". "Ce que nous avons combattu, se manifeste à nouveau de façon systématique", a dit M. Katagaya. "Les gens du mouvement doivent se battre contre ce fléau qui mine les valeurs de la démocratie que nous avons restaurée depuis 1986". La semaine dernière, le Parlement ougandais a mis sur pied une commission d'enquête qui a commencé à se pencher sur plusieurs cas de fraude présumée lors de l'élection présidentielle de mars 2001 et les élections législatives de juin 2001. (PANA, Sénégal, 19 mars 2002) 

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