Weekly anb06275.txt #6

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 27-06-2002      PART #5/6

* Sierra Leone. Experts seek mass graves  -  21 June: A team of 
UN-sponsored forensic experts have arrived in Sierra Leone to investigate 
possible mass graves ahead of a war crimes tribunal that will prosecute 
those responsible for atrocities during 10 years of war, a UN spokeswoman 
said today. The three-man team arrived on 17 June and is expected to stay 
in the country for a month, said Margaret Novicki, spokeswoman for Sierra 
Leone's UN peacekeeping mission. The Argentinean Forensic Anthropology 
Team, whose visit is being funded by the Office of the UN High Commissioner 
for Human Rights, is expected to map possible mass graves across the 
country and determine forensic needs to investigate the sites further. The 
team is expected to propose guidelines for carrying out future 
investigations in support of the international tribunal and a seven-member 
Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up in May that is modeled after the 
one that handled apartheid-era crimes in South Africa. The war crimes 
tribunal is expected to start hearings later this year. It will try serious 
violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law since 
November 30, 1996 -- when rebels signed a peace accord with the government 
that was supposed to end what was then a five-year war. That peace deal was 
followed by a military coup and several more years of fighting that ended 
in 2000. During the war, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front became 
notorious for their brutality, killing and raping thousands of civilians 
and cutting off the limbs of thousands more. Foday Sankoh launched the 
rebel insurgency in 1991 to gain control of the country's government and 
its diamond fields. He was imprisoned in May 2000 and is expected to be 
among the first people tried by the special court. Unlike the war crimes 
tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, which are entirely run by the United 
Nations with an international staff, the Sierra Leone tribunal will have a 
mix of local and international prosecutors and judges.   (CNN, USA, 21 June 
2002)

* Sierra Leone. Début des enquêtes sur les fosses communes  -  Les enquêtes 
préliminaires sur les fosses communes où seraient enterrées les victimes de 
10 ans de guerre civile en Sierra Leone ont débuté. D'après la MINUSIL 
(Mission des Nations unies en Sierra Leone), un groupe d'experts 
médico-légaux en provenance d'Argentine est sur le point d'entamer un 
complexe travail de localisation des sites des sépultures de masse et de 
consultations pour l'établissement des preuves nécessaires à 
l'identification des éventuelles responsabilités. Le groupe, une 
organisation non gouvernementale qui s'occupe d'investigations sur des cas 
de violation des droits humains, collaborera avec le gouvernement de 
Freetown et avec les associations locales en assurant une consultation sur 
l'application de l'anthropologie médico-légale dans le contexte de la 
Sierra Leone. Le rapport devrait soutenir la ligne des enquêtes de la Cour 
spéciale pour la Sierra Leone et de la Commission pour la vérité et la 
réconciliation, deux instances chargées de faire la lumière sur les 
questions liées aux violations des droits de l'homme.   (D'après Misna, 
Italie, 24 juin 2002)

* Sierra Leone. Kofi Annan worried about stability  -  25 June: The United 
Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that the civil war in 
Liberia could derail the fragile recovery of its neighbour, Sierra Leone. 
Mr Annan gave the warning in a progress report on the UN's mission in 
Sierra Leone. He praised the political parties for their conduct in the 
country's recent general elections held in May and for respecting the 
result. But he said the country's continuing stability also depended on 
building an effective police and army. Mr Annan's report makes clear the 
many challenges still facing the country. His main concern is the civil war 
in Liberia and the growing numbers of incursions by armed men across the 
border.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 June 2002)

* Somalie. Enlèvement d'un ministre  -  Le 26 juin, le ministre somalien du 
Tourisme, Ahmed Mohamed Nur "Alliyow", membre du clan Rahanwein, a été 
enlevé dans la capitale Mogadiscio par des hommes armés qui ont demandé une 
rançon de 10.000 dollars pour le libérer. Ses proches ont accusé certains 
de ses gardes du corps d'avoir collaboré avec les kidnappeurs.   (Le 
Figaro, France, 27 juin 2002)

* South Africa. Banks sued for financing apartheid regime  -  Swiss and 
American banks that financed South Africa's apartheid regime are facing a 
$50bn class action lawsuit brought by a team of lawyers on behalf of the 
victims of apartheid. The apartheid reparations international legal claim, 
launched on 17 June in Johannesburg and Zurich, is headed by Edward Fagan, 
the US lawyer who in 1998 forced Swiss banks into a $1.25bn settlement for 
victims of the Holocaust. Mr Fagan is initially seeking reparations from 
US-based Citicorp and from UBS and Credit Suisse, Switzerland's biggest 
banks, accusing them of financing the minority white regime between 1985 
and 1993, flouting international sanctions. The banks' loans allegedly 
allowed the cash-strapped pariah regime to buy arms and continue its 
oppression of the black majority. Other suits will be filed against other 
companies and banks in Switzerland, France, Germany, Britain and South 
Africa that made money from supporting the apartheid government, Mr Fagan 
said on 17 June. "Were it not for the conspiracy of these financial 
institutions and companies," he declared, "apartheid would not have been 
possible."   (Financial Times, UK, 17 June 2002)

* South Africa. Mining bill approved  -  25 June: A controversial bill 
which will transfer ownership of all South Africa's mineral rights from 
private companies to the state has been passed by parliament's lower house. 
The governing ANC party and labour organisations say the new legislation 
would ensure that the black majority in South Africa participates in the 
mining industry, which has been dominated by whites since the apartheid 
era. However, the mining companies argue that the bill violates property 
rights and will undermine the confidence of international investors in the 
South African economy.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 June 2002)

* Soudan. Naufrage de clandestins  -  Le 23 juin, vingt quatre personnes se 
sont noyées dans la mer Rouge dans le naufrage du bateau à bord duquel 
elles tentaient de se rendre illégalement en Arabie Saoudite, apprend-on de 
sources soudanaises. Un seul passager a pu arriver à la terre ferme. 
Jusqu'ici seuls deux corps ont été récupérés par les secouristes. Le 
naufrage a été causé par les mauvaises conditions atmosphériques. Les 
victimes étaient apparemment toutes de nationalité soudanaise.   (Misna, 
Italie, 25 juin 2002)

* Soudan. Nouveaux bombardements - Dialogue  -  L'aviation de l'armée 
soudanaise a bombardé la petite ville de Malwalkon, dans la région du Bahr 
el-Ghazal, tuant 4 personnes et en blessant au moins 7 autres, indique 
l'agence Misna. L'information a été diffusée le 23 juin par le porte-parole 
de la SPLA. Selon lui, les avions militaires ont largué six bombes sur des 
objectifs civils et humanitaires. L'information sur l'attaque a été 
confirmée par d'autres sources, selon Misna. - Cependant, le gouvernement 
de Khartoum a rejeté ces accusations. Il a fait cette déclaration alors que 
quelques signes positifs ont été enregistrés le 24 juin à Nairobi, au cours 
des pourparlers de paix pour mettre fin au conflit qui déchire le Soudan 
depuis 20 ans, rapporte PANA. Selon une source digne de foi, le 
gouvernement de Khartoum et la SPLA auraient convenu d'adopter l'agenda du 
comité politique de l'Autorité intergouvernementale sur le développement 
(IGAD). Ils auraient convenu que le Soudan reste un pays unifié, régi par 
deux systèmes. Les deux parties auraient également conclu des accords de 
principe sur les modalités de partage du pouvoir et des richesses du pays. 
Mais il resterait à trouver un terrain d'entente sur la durée de la période 
intérimaire, Khartoum proposant dix ans, la SPLA deux ans. - Le 25 juin au 
soir, des bombardiers soudanais ont à nouveau mené deux raids contre les 
localités d'Ikotos et Isoke (Equatoria orientale) semant la terreur parmi 
la population et blessant au moins trois personnes.   (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 26 juin 2002)

* Sudan. Government bombs town  -  23 June: Rebels in southern Sudan say 
government forces have bombed the town of Malual-Kan, the centre for a 
number of international aid agencies operating in the area. A spokesman for 
the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), Samson Kwaje, said four people 
were killed as they walked through a Médecin sans Frontiers compound on 
their way to church; five others were injured. The rebel spokesman said the 
SPLA has no military presence in Malual-Kan. There has been no word from 
the Sudanese Government on the reported bombing, which comes days after the 
two sides began talks in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to end the long-running 
civil war. 26 June: ZENIT reports that Bishop Cesare Mazzolari of Rumbek 
has described the bombing as "a genuine act of terror. We strongly condemn 
this savage attack against our people, at a time when hunger advances 
inexorably".   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 26 June 2002)

* Tanzania. Thirty feared dead in Tanzania mine  -  20 June: Mining 
officials in Tanzania say more than 30 people are feared to have been 
killed after oxygen pumps failed at a mine in northern Tanzania. Arusha's 
Area Commissioner, Samuel Kamoti said that two bodies had been pulled out 
of the tanzanite mine but more than 30 were still trapped inside. He said 
the rescue operation at the tanzanite mine of Mererani -- 40 kilometres 
southeast of regional town of Arusha -- was being hampered by lack of 
equipment. Tanzania is the world's only producer of tanzanite, a 
semi-precious stone used by the jewellery industry. "We are mobilising 
equipment to pull out more bodies,"Arusha regional mines officer, Alex 
Magayane, said. Correspondents say tanzanite mines are relatively primitive 
and lack proper safety equipment. They say miners are usually young men who 
often remain underground while carrying out blasting.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 
20 June 2002)

* Tanzanie. 30 ou 50 morts dans une mine  -  20 juin. Selon la presse 
locale qui ne donne pas d'autres précisions, au moins 30 mineurs ont trouvé 
la mort dans un accident de travail dans une mine à Mererani, aux environs 
d'Arusha. D'après certaines sources, ils seraient morts par asphyxie, dans 
la nuit du 19 juin, à la suite d'une panne du compresseur qui doit 
renouveler l'air dans un des filons. Une autre source attribue le drame à 
une fuite de gaz. Au moment de l'accident, 32 personnes (d'autres sources 
parlent de 50) se trouvaient dans le filon. Les équipes de sauveteurs n'ont 
pu en sauver que deux. - Le 23 juin, le Premier ministre a ordonné la 
fermeture de la mine. Il a ordonné également une enquête approfondie sur 
les circonstances de l'accident, et affirmé que des mesures sévères 
seraient prises contre le propriétaire s'il était établi que l'accident 
résulte d'une négligence. Les informations à Mererani font état de la 
récupération et l'identification de 27 corps. Les efforts pour retrouver 
les autres s'avèrent difficiles.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 24 juin 2002)

* Tanzanie. Accident de train: au moins 200 morts  -  24 juin. Deux cents 
corps ont été retiré de l'épave d'un train de voyageurs entré en collision 
avec un convoi de marchandises dans le centre de la Tanzanie et on redoute 
un bilan beaucoup plus lourd encore, a déclaré à Reuters un responsable de 
l'hôpital de Dodoma. Isaac Mwakajila, directeur général-adjoint des chemins 
de fer tanzaniens, a expliqué que le train gravissait une forte pente 
quand, victime d'une défaillance mécanique, il a commencé à revenir en 
arrière, vers le convoi de marchandises. "Le train a déraillé en marche 
arrière et s'est écrasé dans l'autre train, qui était derrière lui et 
allait dans le même sens. Il comprenait 22 voitures dont 21 ont déraillé", 
a expliqué Mwakajila, ajoutant qu'un millier de voyageurs avaient pris 
place dans le convoi. - 26 juin. Le bilan s'est alourdi à 243 victimes. 
Selon la presse locale, au moins 1.600 passagers se trouvaient à bord du 
train.   (Reuters et Misna, 24-26 juin 2002)

* Tanzania. Rail disaster  -  25 June: Rescue workers in Tanzania are 
working to recover bodies trapped in the wreckage of a passenger train, 
which crashed into a freight train near the capital, Dodoma, on 24 June. At 
least 200 people were killed in the collision after the train lost power 
and rolled backwards down a slope, colliding with a goods train and 
derailing. Tanzania's minister of transportation and communication, Mark 
Mwandosya, said that rescuers had pulled 103 bodies from the wreckage by 
nightfall. But Dodoma Regional Medical Officer John Kitimba, who is in 
charge of the rescue effort said there may be as many as 100 more dead. 
More than 10 hours after the crash, as darkness fell, people trapped inside 
the wreckage could still be heard crying for help. Prime Minister Fredrick 
Sumaye has declared two days of national mourning, with all flags to be 
flown at half mast on 25 and 26 June. The accident occurred at Igandu, in 
the central Dodoma region, about 400 kilometres west of Dar es Salaam at 
about 05.30 GMT. Reports say that the passenger train, travelling from Dar 
es Salaam to the north-western town of Kigoma, was climbing a hill when it 
rolled backwards into the path of the goods train and went off the tracks. 
Isaac Mwakajila, assistant director-general of Tanzania Railways 
Corporation, said the train had suffered a mechanical fault on the hill. 
"The badly injured so far are about 800," says Daniel Musangya, a 
journalist working for African Rural Press in Action. The injured were 
transferred to Dodoma hospital where the doctor in charge, Jacob Chembela, 
said the situation was desperate. More than 200 patients, many suffering 
from broken limbs and head and chest injuries, were being treated at the 
hospital, he said. "We are receiving more people... we are trying, we are 
doing our best but we are stretched with little equipment (to work with)," 
Dr Chembela said. Health Minister Anna Abdallah said that a plane carrying 
doctors had left Dar es Salaam for Dodoma. Parliament was in session in 
Dodoma at the time of the crash and Mr Sumaye went to the scene along with 
the Minister of Transport, Mark Mwandosya. Ministerial cars were used to 
help transfer some of the injured to hospital. Ms Abdallah, who is herself 
a doctor, also helped to treat the injured. -- Later in the day, it was 
reported that rescue workers have given up hope of finding any more 
survivors. As relatives wait to view the remains of the dead, it is 
confirmed that at least 200 people have died in the collision and over 900 
have been seriously injured. President Benjamin Mkapa has promised a full 
investigation into the tragedy, and the country has begun two days of 
national mourning. Some passengers have accused the driver of negligence. 
The driver is still reported as missing. 26 June: MISNA reports that the 
death toll has now risen to 243.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 26 June 2002)

Weekly anb0627.txt - #5/6