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Weekly anb08296.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 29-08-2002      PART #6/7
* Rwanda. Meningitis kills 65 - A meningitis outbreak has killed at least 65 people in Rwanda, where aid workers are scurrying to vaccinate one million people deemed at risk, the United Nations said on 23 August. The outbreak, which began about a month ago in Butare province in southwest Rwanda, has spread to the Kibungo province in the east, according to UNICEF. Rwanda's Health Ministry has reported 65 deaths among 439 suspected cases, UNICEF spokeswoman Wivina Belmonte told a news briefing. She said: "We realise these numbers certainly underestimate the full extent of the epidemic because many deaths go unreported. There is clear concern about it getting worse, spreading even more widely," she added. About 1.18 million people in the two provinces are at risk from the disease, half of whom are children under 18, Belmonte predicts. (CNN, USA, 23 August 2002)
* Rwanda. Elections en 2003 - Des élections présidentielle et législatives se tiendront au Rwanda le 7 juillet 2003 au plus tard. Le plan d'action élaboré par la Commission nationale pour les élections établit également pour 2003 la délivrance des cartes d'électeur en janvier, la publication de la loi électorale en mars, ainsi que le programme des élections et le début de la campagne de sensibilisation de la population en avril. La publication de la liste électorale et de celle des candidats aura lieu en mai et le début de la campagne électorale en juin. Ces élections seront précédées par le référendum pour la future Constitution, actuellement en cours d'élaboration, dont les opérations sont prévues pour le 15 mars 2003 au plus tard. (PANA, Sénégal, 24 août 2002)
* Rwanda. Délégation congolaise - Le 25 août, le président rwandais Kagamé a reçu une délégation congolaise conduite par le ministre à la présidence, Augustin Katumba Mwenke, et porteuse d'un message du président Kabila, a indiqué un communiqué de la présidence rwandaise. Le message exprime la volonté du président congolais de respecter et de faire aboutir l'accord de paix signé avec le Rwanda à Pretoria le 30 juillet dernier, ainsi que le voeu de voir se normaliser les relations entre les deux pays. M. Kagamé a cependant refusé de révéler les détails du message ou de ses discussions avec le ministre. "On peut dire que ça a été très positif", a-t-il commenté. Les responsables congolais "nous ont dit qu'ils travaillaient à l'accord, qu'ils faisaient leur maximum et qu'ils ne voulaient pas revenir sur cet accord", a déclaré un conseiller du président rwandais. (PANA et AP, 25 août 2002)
* Sao Tome e Principe. US naval base to protect Sao Tome oil - The tiny island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, off the West African coast, has agreed to host a US naval base to protect its oil interests. The country holds a strategic position in the oil rich Gulf of Guinea from which the US could monitor the movement of oil tankers and guard oil platforms. "Last week I received a call from the Pentagon to tell me that the issue is being studied," President Fradique De Menezes told Portugal's RTP Internacional TV. "This will be good for Sao Tome as it will ensure the future of the country in relation to those that are ambitious and are looking to come to the country when oil is extracted from our waters," he said. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 22 August 2002)
* Sénégal. Casamance: Wade exclut l'indépendance - Le 25 août, le président sénégalais Abdoulaye Wade a exclu d'octroyer l'indépendance à la Casamance, province méridionale où une rébellion conteste depuis vingt ans l'autorité de Dakar. Il a appelé les religieux et les rebelles qui ont pris les armes, à l'aider à parvenir à un accord de paix, avant de se réunir à huis clos avec deux chefs rebelles, l'abbé Diamacoune Senghor et Sidy Badji. - Le 27 août, le gouvernement sénégalais a désigné une commission de 7 membres dans la perspective de prochains pourparlers de paix avec le Mouvement des forces démocratiques de Casamance (MFDC, rébellion) en Guinée-Bissau, a annoncé un communiqué de la présidence. Le communiqué explique que la désignation de cette commission fait suite à une lettre de l'abbé Diamacoune et de Sidy Badji (président et secrétaire général du MFDC), qui ont demandé de rencontrer d'urgence le gouvernement pour parler de paix. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 août 2002)
* South Africa/Zimbabwe. S. Africa to act over land seizures - The South African President, Thabo Mbeki, finally acknowledged on 22 August that there was a need to respond "vigorously" to the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe involving the eviction of white farmers. He said he would discuss the land seizures with John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, which currently chairs the Commonwealth. Mr Mbeki has been under increasing pressure to take action before the opening of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe, is scheduled to attend and there are fears he may hijack the agenda to defend land seizures. Mr Mbeki said: "I agree with Mr Howard that the troika of the Commonwealth [South Africa, Nigeria and Australia] needs to address vigorously the present state of affairs in Zimbabwe." But his deputy foreign minister denied American claims that South Africa was working with neighbouring countries and the US to oust Mr Mugabe. (The Independent, UK, 23 August 2002)
* Sudan. Peace accord warning - An interim peace accord threatens the future of southern Sudan, the country's opposition leader Hassan Turabi has warned. The hard-line Islamic and former chief ideologue of the government was speaking on Friday about the framework accord signed by the state and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. He told Egypt's weekly magazine, Al-Ahram Al-Arabi: "The agreement dealt a blow to Sudan, the Arab world and Islam, and it will lead inevitably to the division of Sudan." The agreement, signed on July 20 in Kenya, provided for a referendum on self-determination for southern Sudanese. It will also exempt southerners from the Muslim-based legislation that applies in northern Sudan. The two points had been major obstacles to brokering an end to Sudan's 19-year civil war. Turabi, who is under house arrest, accused the government of caving into American pressure to sign the accord, which is to be fleshed out in ongoing negotiations. (CNN, USA, 23 August 2002)
* Sudan. Sudan rejects plea to halt 88 executions - The Sudanese government said in remarks published on 25 August, it would not overturn the death sentences on 88 people who were involved in a deadly tribal clash despite an appeal from rights group Amnesty International. The clash between the al-Muaalia and Reizagat tribes in May left more than 50 dead in western Sudan. A special court heard the case and in July sentenced 88 people to die by hanging or crucifixion. London-based Amnesty, which opposes the death penalty, asked the government to stop the executions, saying the trial had been "obviously unfair." Sudanese Justice Minister Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin said the government, which imposes Islamic sharia law, would not overturn the sentences because the death penalty was sanctioned by the Koran, the Muslim holy book. "It is part of our beliefs. Issues where there is a definitive text we have no choice but to abide by them," Yassin was quoted as saying by the daily al-Rai al-Aam. In a statement on its Web site, Amnesty said the convicts had not received proper representation and that two of them were under the age of 18. It said the convicts had two more appeals. The tribal clash in the western state of Southern Darfur broke out after two al-Muaalia tribesmen killed a member of the Reizagat tribe in an argument at a market place. The official Sudan News Agency initially said 87 people had been sentenced to death, while another convict had received a 10-year jail term. (CNN, USA, 25 August 2002)
* Soudan. Négociations de paix - Le second round de négociations de trois semaines visant à mettre fin à deux décennies de guerre civile au Soudan, serait en bonne voie au Kenya, même si certains responsables sud-soudanais les ont qualifiés d'imposture. Des sources proches des entretiens à huis clos ont déclaré, le 27 août, que les deux parties ont annoncé leurs positions sur la façon de partager le pouvoir durant la période de six ans de l'après-guerre. Les représentants du gouvernement et de la SPLA ont présenté leurs positions sur la gouvernance au niveau central et des Etats, ainsi que sur le Sud-Soudan. Les positions ont insisté sur la nécessité de déléguer les pouvoirs exécutifs, législatifs et judiciaires aux régions et aux Etats. Dans le cadre du protocole signé le 20 juillet, le Soudan sera gouverné durant les six années de transition comme un pays formé du Nord musulman ayant la charia comme base de sa législation, alors que le Sud va fonctionner comme un Etat régional avec une Constitution laïque. Après ces six ans, un référendum supervisé par la communauté internationale sera organisé pour permettre à la population du Sud de décider de rester séparé du Nord ou de se joindre à lui pour former un seul pays. Les délégués aux négociations qui se déroulent actuellement, devront donner aussi leur point de vue sur la façon de partager les énormes richesses pétrolières du pays ainsi que sur les institutions gouvernementales et la sécurité, à temps pour un accord qui devrait être passé le 14 septembre. (PANA, Sénégal, 28 août 2002)
* Sudan. Peace under threat - 19 August: A Sudanese government plane bombs two villages in eastern Equatoria, Isoke and Hiyala, razing a number of huts to ashes and sending the entire population into a state of panic. 27 August: A Sudanese government plane drops eleven bombs in Isoke (for the 2nd time) and destroys crops in the nearby fields. 28 August: Isoke is yet again bombed. In a Press Release dated 27 August, the SPLM/A News Agency says that despite the peace talks in Machakos, the Government of Sudan is now on a massive military offensive in southern Sudan. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 August 2002)
* Swaziland. Judgement in sedition trial - 22 August: Swaziland's High Court gives its judgement today in the long-running trial of the leader of a banned opposition political party. Mario Masuku, leader of the Peoples United Democratic Party (Pudemo), was arrested almost two years ago after allegedly calling for the overthrow of King Mswati III at public gatherings in Mbabane and Manzini. Mr Masuku, 51, however, has maintained throughout his seven-month trial, that his party believed that the king was a central part of the Swazi culture. During his trial, Mr Masuku told the court that he had only suggested that the king relinquish his traditional executive authority to prevent him from being used or abused by members of his government. The case was initially marred by legal wrangles. At the end of the hearing, the High Court acquitted Masuku. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 22 August 2002)
* Tanzania. Mosquito net manufacturers to supply re-treatment kits - Tanzania's insecticide-treated net (ITN) manufacturers will soon begin to prepackage and sell their products with an extra mosquito insecticide kit to boost their effectiveness in malaria prevention, health officials have announced. Jane Miller of Population Services International (PSI), a health organisation, which is part of a new, US $12 million five-year programme aimed at fighting malaria in Tanzania, said that the agreement between the country's ITN manufacturers --Sunflag, A-Z Textile Mills and Textile Manufacturers of Tanzania Limited - to "pre-bundle" the mosquito nets with extra insecticide would enable consumers to treat their nets repeatedly to render them more effective in combating mosquitoes. A treated net is 50 percent more effective than an untreated net, according to health experts. Currently priced at 40 US cents a dose, the insecticide kits are still a major expense for very poor Tanzanians, according to Miller. She said PSI had ensured that the net manufacturers would get the insecticide at the wholesale price of 15 US cents, thereby raising the price of each net by only that amount. The net manufacturers "realised that they weren't likely to lose out from a small price rise if everybody did it", Miller added. Independent specialists concur that the agreement -- the first of its kind in the world -- was likely to have a major impact on the re-treatment rates of ITNs, greatly improving their effectiveness. (IRIN, Kenya 21 August 2002)
* Tchad/Cameroun. L'argent du pipeline - Le conseil d'administration de la Banque mondiale examinera, le 12 septembre, le rapport d'un groupe d'évaluation indépendant concernant la construction d'un pipeline de plus de 1.000 km entre le Tchad et le Cameroun. Selon le Financial Times, les conclusions de ce rapport seraient largement négatives, notamment en ce qui concerne la protection de l'environnement. Le projet, d'un montant évalué à 3,7 milliards de dollars, est géré par un consortium dont Exxon-Mobil est le principal actionnaire. L'institution financière lui a apporté son soutien, il y a deux ans, mais en posant une condition: que les retombées financières de l'exploitation des gisements et de l'oléoduc bénéficient en premier lieu aux populations locales. Très vite, elle a été amenée à protester auprès des autorités tchadiennes et camerounaises, les premiers revenus ayant été essentiellement alloués aux ministères de la Défense. (J.A./L'Intelligent, 26 août 2002)
* Togo. Proposed media code draws heavy criticism - Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has protested against a proposed code that would expose media professionals in Togo to heavy penalties for defaming the head of state, other government officials and top civil servants. In a letter to Togolese Prime Minister Koffi Sama, RSF said the proposed code would stifle the independent press and showed the government's willingness to clamp down on the media. The Paris-based organisation said it was disappointed by the government's decision which, it said, was a "sudden turnaround" in a media reform policy the Togolese authorities began in 1998 when they started decriminalising press offenses. According to RSF, the proposed bill was presented by the ministry of communication. If it is passed, journalists would face up to five years in jail and a monetary fine of up to US $7,500 for defaming the president. Under the existing code, the maximum penalty was six months. For offenses against parliamentarians, the prime minister and other senior state officials, the penalties would range between three months and two years in jail. If the aggrieved parties are judges or members of the armed and security forces, the prison term would be three years, RSF said. (IRIN, Kenya, 21 August 2002)
* Togo. Manifestations interdites - Un meeting de l'Union des forces du changement (UFC, opposition) et une marche de protestation du groupement "Quelle solution pour le Togo?", prévus le dimanche 25 août, ont été interdits par le ministre de l'Intérieur. Dimanche matin, pour dissuader d'éventuelles manifestations, la police a pris position dans quelques coins stratégiques de la capitale. La ville est restée calme et les responsables du parti ont affirmé avoir suspendu la tenue du meeting. Les officiers supérieurs de l'armée avaient également lu, le samedi soir à la télévision, une déclaration mettant en garde les partis qui prétendent organiser des manifestations mais qui, en fait, "troublent l'ordre public". Le groupement "Quelle solution pour le Togo?" a voulu organiser sa manifestation pour demander la libération de son coordinateur et de deux autres de ses militants condamnés à 12 mois de prison, dont 10 avec sursis. (PANA, Sénégal, 25 août 2002) 

Weekly anb0829.txt - #6/7