Weekly anb03215.txt #7

[anb-bia <anb-bia at village.uunet.be>]

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 21-03-2002      PART #5/7

* Liberia. Pourparlers  -  Les pourparlers entre les groupes rivaux 
libériens, qui devaient s'ouvrir le 14 mars dans la capitale nigériane 
Abuja, ont été reportés d'un jour parce que la délégation gouvernementale 
tardait à arriver. Les autres délégués, représentant les partis politiques, 
les anciennes forces rebelles et les groupes de la société civile, étaient 
arrivés. Les rebelles des Libériens unis pour la réconciliation et la 
démocratie (LURD) n'ont pas voulu asister à la réunion invoquant une 
invitation tardive. Les pourparlers qui se tiennent sous les auspices de la 
CEDEAO, visent à définir les modalités pour la tenue de la conférence de 
réconciliation nationale, qui doit avoir lieu au courant de cette année à 
Monrovia. La réunion a pu commencer le vendredi 15 mars. Souhaitant la 
bienvenue aux participants, le président nigérian Obasanjo a souligné que 
"le dialogue a toujours été la seule façon de triompher des conséquences 
désastreuses d'un différend". Le 16 mars, les parties en présence ont 
appelé à un cessez-le-feu immédiat entre le gouvernement et les rebelles du 
LURD. Les participants ont également demandé que "la sécurité soit 
garantie, l'Etat de droit et les droits constitutionnels respectés pour 
tous les Libériens, mais aussi la création d'un environnement favorable à 
des élections justes et libres en 2003". Les propositions seront soumises à 
la Commission médiation et sécurité de la CEDEAO qui se réunira le 29 mars 
à Dakar.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 18 mars 2002)

* Liberia. New refugee emergency in Liberia  -  19 March: A fresh 
humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Liberia, following operations by 
government troops against rebel guerrillas in the north-west of the 
country. Ten of thousands of people have fled their homes in recent weeks, 
after rebels known as Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy 
(Lurd) stepped up their attacks against the government of President Charles 
Taylor. Most of those who left now live in camps around the capital, 
Monrovia. But in Gbarpolu county, 100 kilometres north of Monrovia, 
thousands of local people have been emerging from the bush as army troops 
engage pockets of Lurd fighters.Many of the displaced people are said to 
have been held hostage in rebel hide-outs in the dense Belle Forest, before 
regaining their freedom when government troops broke through. Liberia's 
Health Minister Peter Coleman said there was an outbreak of acute diarrhoea 
among the returning people -- who he said had been surviving largely on 
wild fruits.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 March 2002)

* Libye. Lockerbie: peine confirmée  -  Le 14 mars, à l'issue du procès en 
appel des auteurs de l'attentat de Lockerbie, les juges écossais du Camp 
Zeist (Pays-Bas) ont condamné l'ex-agent secret Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi 
à la réclusion criminelle à perpétuité. Le verdict confirme la condamnation 
prononcée par la cour en première instance. "Aucun des arguments d'appel 
n'a été reconnu valide", a déclaré le juge lord Mc Cullen. L'accusé purgera 
sa peine, assortie d'un minimum incompressible de vingt ans, dans une 
prison écossaise, où il a été transféré dans l'après-midi. La Libye a 
dénoncé un "verdict politique".   (Le Figaro, France, 15 mars 2002)

* Libya. Libyan protest over Lockerbie trial  -  17 March: Thousands of 
Libyans have held a peaceful protest against a Scottish courts decision to 
uphold the conviction of a former Libyan intelligence agent in the 1988 
Lockerbie bombing. Abdel Baset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi was jailed for life 
for his part in the bombing which killed 259 people on board Pan AM flight 
103 and 11 people on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The 
demonstration focused on the United Nations office in Tripoli. In a 
statement handed to a UN representative, the protesters called on the 
international body to "interfere to save the political hostage Abdel-Basset 
al-Megrahi. The sentence contradicts international laws as it was handed as 
a result of political pressure aimed at settling account with the Libyan 
revolution," said the statement. Al-Megrahi, 49, lost an appeal on 13 March 
against his 2001 conviction. The judges said "none of the grounds of the 
appeal are well-founded." Libya has described the five-judge court's 
unanimous decision as a "political verdict" and said it will lodge an 
appeal to the UK House of Lords and the European Court of Human 
Rights.   (CNN, USA, 17 March 2002)

* Madagascar. La tension monte  -  14 mars. La tension monte à Taomasina 
(Tamatave), le port principal de l'île, fief du président sortant 
Ratsiraka. Dans la matinée, des individus ont commis des actes de 
vandalisme, détruisant notamment des magasins. La police et l'armée sont 
intervenues et ont ouvert le feu. Certaines sources parlent de sept morts, 
d'autres de deux victimes. Par ailleurs à Antananarivo, le gouvernement du 
président auto-proclamé Marc Ravalomanana a annoncé le remplacement des 
principaux chefs de l'armée. Le général de division Dieudonné Andrianome 
Ranevo remplacerait le général Ismaël Mounibou au poste de chef 
d'état-major. Cependant, lorsque le ministre de la Défense du gouvernement 
de Ratsiraka avait démissionné le 8 mars, le général Mounibou était resté 
en poste, refusant de reconnaître l'autorité de Ravalomanana. Le général 
Mounibou est réputé pour conserver une certaine autorité dans l'armée. - 15 
mars. Les partisans de Ravalomanana ont amené leur "Premier ministre" 
Jacques Sylla dans l'immeuble de ses bureaux, sans pouvoir toutefois l'y 
installer. La foule a fait reculer les militaires qui gardaient la 
primature, mais ont laissé sur le terrain un mort et 38 blessés. - 19 mars. 
On apprenait dans la soirée qu'une rencontre entre MM. Ratsiraka et 
Ravalomanana est "prévue sous 24 ou 48 heures". Cette rencontre "acceptée" 
par les deux protagonistes aura lieu à la demande "des forces armées 
légalistes" placées sous le commandement du général Ismaël Mounibou. - 20 
mars. Avant de rencontrer M. Ratsiraka, M. Ravalomanana exige que ce 
dernier fasse "lever les barrages" qui asphyxient la capitale 
Antananarivo.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 21 mars 2002)

* Madagascar. Rival government installed  -  15 March: Supporters of 
Madagascar's self-declared president, Marc Ravalomanana, have installed a 
new prime minister in the capital after a tense stand-off with troops loyal 
to the incumbent president. Jacques Sylla, proclaimed as the head of the 
new rival government, is a lawyer who comes from the eastern port of 
Tamatave in the political heartland of President Didier Ratsiraka. had 
surrounded the building. One soldier is reported to have been injured. 19 
March: The self-declared government has called an end to the general strike 
and has urged public and private sector workers to return to work. However, 
Antananarivo is still being choked by a blockade imposed by President 
Ratsiraka's supporters. -- About 60 Members of Parliament siding with 
Ravalomanana "install" Paraina Auguste as pro-tem Speaker of the National 
Assembly in Antananarivo. 20 March: Marc Ravalomanana says he is prepared 
to meet President Ratsiraka in an attempt to defuse the crisis, but he will 
only hold talks if the roadblocks strangling the capital are 
removed.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 March 2002)

* Mali. Modibo Keita Premier ministre  -  Le 18 mars, le chef de l'Etat 
malien, Alpha Oumar Konaré, a nommé Modibo Keita nouveau Premier ministre 
en remplacement de Mandé Sidibé, qui a présenté sa démission et celle de 
son gouvernement. M. Keita, jusque-là secrétaire général de la présidence 
de la République, est chargé entre autres de conduire en toute transparence 
les élections générales de 2002. L'ancien Premier ministre Mandé Sidibé a 
l'intention de se présenter à l'élection présidentielle du 28 avril, contre 
l'avis de son parti ADEMA dont le candidat désigné est M. Soumaila Cissé. 
13 candidats se sont déjà présentés pour cette élection.   (PANA, Sénégal, 
18 mars 2002)

* Mali. Prime Minister resigns  -  18 March: The prime minister of Mali, 
Mande Sidibe, has resigned just six weeks ahead of the presidential 
election, fuelling speculation that he will contest the poll. 
Correspondents say it is highly likely that he will run, and that his 
resignation is in line with electoral rules which dictate that presidential 
candidates should leave the government. Mr Sidibe had previously withdrawn 
as one of the candidates for the governing ADEMA party to succeed President 
Omar Alpha Konare who is coming to the end of his second and final term in 
office. He withdrew when it became clear that ADEMA would choose the former 
infrastructure minister, Soumaila Cisse, as its official candidate. 
Thirteen other candidates have declared that they will be running for the 
presidency. Mali's constitution bars President Konare from seeking a third 
term in office.-- President Alpha Oumar Konare appoints Modibo Keita as new 
Prime Minister. He was previously secretary general at the Office of the 
President. Former Prime Minister Mande Sidibe has, meanwhile, indicated his 
intention to stand in the presidential election slated for 28 April, 
against the advise of his party, the Alliance for Democracy in Mali 
(ADEMA). Thirteen candidates have registered for the election, and more are 
still expected.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 19 March 2002)

* Mauritanie/Italie. Hommes d'affaires en prospection  -  Depuis le 16 
mars, une mission d'opérateurs économiques italiens est en visite à 
Nouakchott dans le but de "développer et d'approfondir les relations 
d'affaires et de partenariat entre l'Italie et la Mauritanie", selon 
l'ambassadeur italien. Dans cette délégation, plusieurs secteurs de 
l'économie italienne sont représentés: le bâtiment, l'industrie 
alimentaire, les accessoires pour automobiles, la pêche... Les Italiens ont 
manifesté notamment leur intérêt pour des projets communs dans le secteur 
de l'achat et de l'élevage de poisson. Les exportations mauritaniennes vers 
l'Italie ont connu une progression de 16% au cours de l'année 2001. Les 
importations en provenance de l'Italie ont augmenté de 150% entre 1998 et 
2001.   (PANA, Sénégal, 18 mars 2002)

* Mauritius. Street educators training programme  -  The Mauritius 
government, in conjunction with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and a local 
NGO dubbed "Passeport," have signed an agreement for the launching in 
April, of a training programme for "street educators." Under the scheme, 
organisations working with street children would benefit from the services 
of a specialised educator, Alexis Velna. They would collaborate with the 
parents to reintegrate street children into their families or in 
specialised institutions, an official source said. The UN agency will 
disburse some 13,415 Euros (11,821 US dollars) to the project, which is 
being experimented for the first time in Mauritius, according to UNICEF 
representative Stanislav Czplickim. "The educators' role is to go towards 
the children, give them basic treatment, advice, education and most 
importantly, orientation," he explained. Czplickim noted that once street 
children trust the educators, the latter would be able to help the kids out 
of their situation.   (PANA, Senegal, 18 March 2002)

* Morocco. Seeking tourism revival  -  Tourism chiefs in the Moroccan city 
of Fez are seeking to win back lost trade from holidaymakers who were put 
off travelling by the events of 11 September. For thousands of workers, 
including taxi drivers, hotel staff and local craftsman, it is vital that 
North Americans and Europeans overcome any doubts about travel. "We Fassis 
all need tourism," says Mohammed Benouna, a shop owner in Fez, 
north-eastern Morocco. "Tourism and agriculture are the two most important 
things in Morocco," he points out. His sales to fellow Moroccans have been 
slow for a year or so now as people hit by the country's drought have cut 
their spending on weddings and other celebrations. The sharp fall-off in 
foreign visitors after the 11 September attacks was a further blow the city 
could have done without. He is hoping that returning Moroccan emigres based 
in France will provide some welcome business this summer.   (ANB-BIA, 
Brussels, 18 March 2002)

* Nigeria. Court hears stoning appeal  -  18 March: A woman in Nigeria 
convicted of adultery by an Islamic court and sentenced to death by 
stoning, appears before an appeal hearing. Harsh criminal punishments such 
as stoning and amputation for theft have been introduced into the legal 
code in many of Nigeria's majority Muslim northern states over the past two 
years. But although amputations have been carried out, no one has yet been 
stoned to death. The case has attracted a great deal of attention, both 
inside Nigeria and abroad and worldwide calls for clemency appear to have 
softened the resolve of the local authorities to carry out the punishment. 
It is also a very sensitive issue within Nigeria, a country with a large 
Christian, as well as Muslim, population. Safiya Husaini, who is 35 years 
old, is not being held in prison. Under Islamic law she is free to live 
with her family until she either wins her appeal or is taken away to be 
stoned to death for the crime of adultery. She was convicted because she 
had borne a child out of wedlock. -- The four judges at the Sokoto Court of 
Appeal, rule that a decision will be made on 25 March.   (ANB-BIA, 
Brussels, 18 March 2002)

* Nigeria. Safiya: procès en appel  -  Le 18 mars, une cour d'appel 
islamique à Sokoto a ajourné d'une semaine le jugement dans l'affaire de 
Safiya Hussaini, condamnée en octobre 2001 à la lapidation pour adultère. 
Après trois heures et demi de séance, le procès a été ajourné au 25 mars. 
L'avocat de Safiya, Abdu Kabir Ibrahim, s'est montré optimiste: "Les juges 
ont accepté sans poser de question les arguments de mon plaidoyer. Ils ont 
reporté leur décision au 25 mars. Je suis confiant". Safiya Hussaini a 
toutes les chances d'être sauvée parce que des associations nigérianes ont 
su galvaniser l'opinion internationale et que son avocat a pu mettre en 
évidence les carences de son procès.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 
mars 2002)

Weekly anb0321.txt - #5/7