Weekly anb10171.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 17-10-2002  PART #1/7

* Afrique. Banque arabe pour le développement - Le conseil d'administration 
de la Banque arabe pour le développement économique en Afrique (BADEA) 
s'est réuni du 9 au 11 octobre à Damas. Au cours de la réunion, le conseil 
a approuvé l'allocation de 18,6 millions de dollars pour le financement de 
huit nouvelles opérations. Les pays bénéficiaires sont la Gambie, le 
Mozambique, le Rwanda, Sao Tomé et Principe, la Tanzanie, Madagascar, le 
Niger et le Ghana. Depuis le début de 2002, la BADEA a accordé des 
financements pour un montant global de $134,355 millions. (BADEA, Soudan, 
11 octobre 2002)

* Africa. Action against the Media - Côte d'Ivoire: On 10 October, Kate 
Davenport, a BBC reporter in Abidjan, was briefly held by police, after 
being prevented from reporting on the destruction of shanty towns in a 
suburb. Police said they were protecting her from angry crowds. Niger: On 
12 October, it was reported that professional staff of the private media 
have for the first time set up a trade union to defend their rights and 
interests. Sudan: On 9 October, the International Press Institute (IPI), in 
a letter to the President of Sudan, said it is deeply disturbed by the 
state of Sudan's attempts to intimidate Faisal el Bagir, a journalist and a 
member of Sudan's Organisation Against Torture. He had been arrested on 7 
October shortly after arriving from Dakar, Senegal, where he had been 
attending an international meeting on freedom of expression. Swaziland: On 
3 October, the Swaziland Royal Police, acting on a court order, raided 
Channel S, the only privately-owned TV station in the country, and 
confiscated a video tape containing a sermon that has been termed by the 
government as "threatening the foundations of the kingdom". The sermon had 
been preached by Pastor Justice Dlamini and was broadcast nationally and 
regionally on 6 September. Uganda: Uganda's independent newspaper, The 
Monitor, failed to appear on 11 October after a police raid. The paper's 
offices were searched during the night, mobile phones were confiscated, 
records were taken and staff searched. The action followed a lead story the 
previous day which had suggested that rebels in the north had shot down two 
government helicopters piloted by expatriates. The same day, Human Rights 
Watch said the Ugandan Government should immediately end its suppression of 
The Monitor. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 October 2002)

* Africa. Humanitarian needs - The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that it 
is being overwhelmed by the scale of the famine in Africa. A spokeswoman 
for the WFP, Christiane Berthiaume, says the WFP has never had to confront 
so many crises at the same time. The UN is already dealing with famines in 
southern Africa and the Horn of Africa, and now there are the first 
indications of crop failures in the Western Sahel. Monitors report that 
poor rains have severely affected crops in large parts of Mauritania, Mali 
and Senegal. In Mauritania, the food security situation remains worrying 
despite a slight improvement in rainfall. In northern Ethiopia, inadequate 
food distribution have left more than a million people facing a huge food 
gap. In Angola, a lack of funding despite growing humanitarian needs has 
exacerbated the crisis in Angola. Also, Angolan refugees arriving from 
Congo RDC are staying in very poor conditions in the eastern town of Luau. 
(ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 October 2002)

* Afrique. La faim dans le monde - Le 14 octobre, la FAO a rendue publique 
une étude sur "L'état de l'insécurité alimentaire dans le monde en 2002". 
Si la faim régresse lentement à l'échelle de la planète, le nombre de 
personnes sous-alimentées est encore en hausse dans certaines régions. En 
10 ans, le nombre d'êtres humains mal nourris a reculé de 20 millions, pour 
atteindre 840 millions. En revanche, la population des mal nourris a 
augmenté de 96 millions dans 47 pays répartis en Afrique, l'Inde, le 
Proche-Orient et une partie de l'Asie. Autre constat de l'étude: 
l'insécurité alimentaire et les conflits armés font, si l'on ose dire,"bon" 
ménage. L'environnement défavorable que représentent l'épuisement des 
ressources naturelles, la pression démographique ou la rareté de l'eau 
attise la concurrence. Les conflits armés empêchent aussi les agriculteurs 
de produire des denrées alimentaires et entravent l'accès à la nourriture 
en perturbant les transports, les échanges et les marchés, comme on le 
constate aujourd'hui en Côte d'Ivoire. Conclusion: dans l'ensemble des pays 
en développement, on estime que les pertes de production agricole se sont 
montées à 4,3 milliards de dollars par an. Avec cette somme, on aurait pu 
permettre de mieux nourrir 330 millions de personnes. (D'après Le Figaro, 
France, 15 octobre 2002)

* Africa. Human rights - Algeria: On 10 October, Reporters sans Frontières 
urged European MPs to insist that Algeria respect human rights under EU 
association agreement. --Belaid Abrika, a Berber activist, is to remain in 
prison after appearing before a court on 15 October on twenty charges, 
including arson and inciting riots. Three other activists jailed with him 
have been released. Congo RDC: On 13 October, the Congolese human rights 
NGO, Voice of the Voiceless, sharply criticised the secrecy of the trial of 
dozens of people suspected of involvement of the late President 
Laurent-Desiré Kabila. -- In a 17 October Press Release, Amnesty 
International said the United Nations must take urgent steps to stop the 
escalation of human rights violations in the Ituri Region. Côte d'Ivoire: 
The government has been accused of committing sweeping human rights abuses 
and failing to prevent a rising tide of xenophobia. Ibrahima Doumbia of the 
Ivorian Movement for Human Rights says there have been numerous executions, 
arrests and disappearances in Abidjan. The UNHCR reports that in addition 
to attacks on foreigners in Abidjan, mobs have forced many West African 
nationals to flee their homes. Eritrea: On 10 October, Amnesty 
International called on the Maltese government to suspend deportations of 
Eritreans back to Eritrea until a thorough, independent investigation has 
been made as to their fate, and an assessment made as to whether Eritreans 
can be forcibly returned in safety and dignity, with full respect of their 
human rights. According to reports received by Amnesty International, up to 
223 Eritreans were forcibly deported between 20 September and 3 October 
2002. The Eritreans were said to have been immediately arrested on arrival 
in Asmara and taken to a military camp, detained incommunicado. It is not 
known where the detainees are being held. Namibia: On 15 October, Namibia's 
National Society for Human Rights said that Cassius Pekelezo, a detainee 
accused of supporting the Caprivi secessionist movement, has died in 
custody. This brings to eight the number of detainees who have died in 
custody since 1999. Nigeria: On 10 October, Human Rights Watch welcomed the 
Nigerian government's recent action to crack down on the vigilante group, 
known as the Bakassi Boys, but says more fundamental reforms are needed. 
Human Rights Watch has documented human rights abuses committed by the 
Bakassi Boys in the States of Abia and Anambrs. -- On 16 October, Human 
rights organizations accused Nigeria of trying to suppress a European 
Union-funded report that blames the government for failing to prevent -- 
and in some cases fuelling -- ethnic, religious and political clashes that 
have killed 10,000 people over the past three years. The Geneva-based World 
Organization Against Torture and the Lagos-based Centre for Law Enforcement 
Education said customs officials had seized copies of the report published 
jointly by the two groups and held them for more than a month because it 
had "political undertones." Nigeria's State Security Service has also 
harassed the authors of a chapter on Muslim-Christian clashes in the 
central city of Jos in September 2001 that killed more than 900 people, and 
another section on the slaughter of hundreds of civilians by soldiers in 
the central Benue state in October 2001, the groups said. Agents visited 
the three researchers and also allegedly made threatening phone calls, 
demanding they present themselves at the security service's Abuja 
headquarters. The researchers refused, pending an official request in 
writing. Zimbabwe: On 10 October, it was reported that Zimbabwean police 
have tortured the leader of a teachers' trade union, who called a strike, 
his lawyer has said. Raymond Majongwe, leader of the Progressive Teachers 
Union of Zimbabwe, gave himself up to police on 9 October after hearing 
that the police were looking for him. Lawyer Tererayi Gunje said that Mr 
Majongwe had been "seriously injured. He has been beaten up and when I saw 
him yesterday (night of 9 October) night he couldn't sit on his own. I 
think he has broken ribs and internal bleeding".I will file an urgent 
application to secure his release. Police spokesman Andrew Phiri says that 
the allegations will be investigated. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 17 October 2002)

* Africa/Europe. New air routes - British Airways is to launch the first 
scheduled service between the UK and Angola. From 1 November it will 
operate one round trip a week from Heathrow to Luanda, using Boeing 777 
aircraft. Air Lib, the French carrier will start flying between Paris Orly 
and Tripoli on 27 October. It will operate two round trips a week. The 
airline has been expanding services to North Africa. Earlier this year it 
launched services to Algeria, operating flights to Algiers and Oran. 
(ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 October 2002)

* Afrique/Francophonie. RSF épingle l'indifférence - Dénonçant la passivité 
de la Francophonie face aux violations quotidiennes de la liberté de 
presse, dans un communiqué diffusé le 17 octobre, Reporters sans frontières 
(RSF) demande la suspension des quatre pays les plus répressifs en matière 
de liberté de la presse: Guinée équatoriale, Laos, Tunisie et Viêt-nam, 
comme le précise la Déclaration de Bamako qui prévoit des sanctions "en cas 
de rupture de la démocratie ou de violations massives des droits de 
l'homme". Sur les cinquante-cinq Etats et gouvernements qui participent au 
IXe Sommet de la Francophonie, à Beyrouth (Liban), vingt continuent de 
bafouer la liberté de la presse: Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Comores, Djibouti, 
Egypte, Guinée, Guinée-Bissau, Guinée équatoriale, Haïti, Laos, Liban, 
Maroc, Mauritanie, Niger, République démocratique du Congo, Rwanda, 
Seychelles, Togo, Tunisie et Viêt-nam. Aujourd'hui, on constate plus de 
violations de la liberté de la presse dans des Etats francophones que lors 
du précédent Sommet de Moncton, au Canada, en septembre 1999. Ainsi, en 
trois ans, trois journalistes ont été assassinés dans des pays 
francophones, 264 ont été arrêtés et 183 ont été agressés. Par ailleurs, 
223 médias ont été censurés, interdits ou fermés par les autorités de ces 
Etats. Enfin, au 1er octobre 2002, 14 journalistes étaient incarcérés dans 
huit pays francophones. C'est pourquoi Reporters sans frontières appelle à 
des sanctions contre plusieurs Etats membres. (ANB-BIA, Belgique, 17 
octobre 2002)

* Afrique du Nord. Tournée du directeur du FMI. - Le directeur général du 
Fonds monétaire international, Horst Köhler, est attendu ce lundi 14 
octobre à Nouakchott, première étape d'une tournée d'une semaine dans trois 
pays du Maghreb. M. Köhler visitera la Mauritanie, l'Algérie et la Tunisie, 
à l'invitation de ces trois pays. C'est la première visite du patron du FMI 
au Maghreb depuis sa prise de fonction. Il discutera de "problèmes auxquels 
est confrontée l'économie régionale et mondiale, ainsi que du rôle du FMI", 
indique un communiqué officiel. (PANA, Sénégal, 14 octobre 2002)

* Horn of Africa. Missions and talks - 14 October: The African Union is to 
send a mission to Sudan and Eritrea to try and defuse tension between the 
two countries. A statement released on 11 October urges the authorities of 
both countries to cooperate with the AU delegation and "appealed urgently 
to their leaders to exercise restraint and refrain from all acts that would 
heighten the tension between them". -- Ethiopia's Prime minister Meles 
Zenawi and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir have flown into Yemen for talks 
on the Horn of Africa. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 October 2002)

* Algeria. Municipal elections - 10 October: Rioting in the Berber region 
mars local elections, with at least five people injured in clashes with 
police. Elsewhere, voting ended smoothly in elections seen as a test of 
political stability under President Bouteflika. Interior Minister 
Noureddine announces that voting was disrupted in 20 of the 67 
municipalities in Tizi Ouzou Province, and 19 out of 52 municipalities in 
Bejaia Province. 11 October: The ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) 
confirms its hold on power winning the largest number of seats in the 
municipalities. The FLN win control of 668 communes out of a total of 
1,541, taking control of 43 of Algeria's 48 biggest cities. The National 
Democratic Rally (RND) loses its previous majority, taking control of 171 
communes. Independents win 77, ahead of the secular Socialist Forces Front 
(FFS) party with 65 communes. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 11 October 2002)

* Algeria. Muslim students shot dead - 16 October: Thirteen students have 
been killed at a Koranic school by suspected Muslim fundamentalists, the 
Algerian security forces say. Another two people were killed in a separate 
incident on the night of 15 October at a fake roadblock in the same region 
of Chlef, 200 km west of the capital, Algiers. The latest killings bring to 
more than 50 the number of people killed this month in similar attacks, 
which the Algerian Government has blamed on the hardline Armed Islamic 
Group (GIA). This is the first time religious students have been the target 
of violence since Islamic militants launched a war against the authorities 
in 1992. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 October 2002)

* Algérie. Elections locales - Le 10 octobre, quelque 17 millions 
d'électeurs étaient appelés à élire pour cinq ans leurs représentants dans 
plus de 1.500 communes et 48 départements. Ces élections se sont déroulées 
dans le calme dans la plus grande partie du pays. Mais elles ont été 
marquées par des émeutes en Kabylie, à la suite de l'appel au boycottage du 
mouvement contestataire des aârchs (tribus kabyles). Des manifestants ont 
attaqué et saccagé des bureaux de vote dans plusieurs communes. Une très 
forte présence des forces de l'ordre a cependant pu éviter le pire. -- 11 
octobre. Les élections, perturbées par les émeutes et boycottage en 
Kabylie, ont vu sans surprise une nette victoire du Front de libération 
nationale (FNL, ex-parti unique), sans poussée notoire des islamistes. 
Selon les résultats officiels (amputés de la Kabylie et de quelques autres 
communes), le FLN a gagné dans 668 communes sur 1.541, et 43 des 48 
départements. Il est en outre à égalité avec d'autres partis dans 323 
communes et deux départements. La participation aurait été de 50,11% (mais 
de 15,6% à Béjaïa et de 7,6% à Tizi Ouzou). -- Le samedi 12 octobre, les 
responsables des comités de village kabyles ont mis en garde le pouvoir 
d'Alger contre l'installation officielle en Kabylie des maires "élus" au 
terme des élections. Le dimanche, le chef de file du mouvement kabyle, 
Belaïd Abrika, a été arrêté à Tizi Ouzou avec quatre autres délégués. - 15 
octobre. Des manifestations, dont certaines ont tourné à l'émeute, se sont 
déroulées lundi et mardi dans plusieurs régions d'Algérie à la suite de 
l'installation de maires élus. Des troubles ont eu lieu à Badreddine, dans 
la région de Sidi Bel Abbès, et à Mila, près de Constantine (contre un 
maire du FLN), ainsi qu'à Oum El-Bouaghi dans les Aurès (contre la mise à 
l'écart d'un élu du FLN). Les émeutes sont devenues le mode d'expression de 
la colère contre l'incurie des autorités locales. (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 17 octobre 2002)

Weekly anb1017.txt - #1/7