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Weekly anb11146.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 14-11-2002      PART #6/7
* Somalie. Pourparlers de paix - L'ouverture de la seconde série de pourparlers somaliens à Eldoret (Kenya) est prévue le 11 novembre, selon des sources officielles. Les participants seront désormais scindés en six commissions qui seront chacune chargée de se pencher sur des points précis du conflit: Constitution et gouvernement élargi; réconciliation, droits humains et éthique; renforcement des capacités institutionnelles et mobilisation des ressources; renforcement de la paix, désarmement, réhabilitation et construction; relations régionales et internationales; et droits fonciers, droits de propriété et droits des minorités. (PANA, Sénégal, 7 novembre 2002)
* Somalie. Appel à "Al-Barakaat" - Le 11 novembre, les Seigneurs de la guerre et le gouvernement de transition, réunis à Eldoret, ont adressé un appel désespéré pour que reprennent au plus tôt les opérations de la compagnie financière "Al-Barakaat. La compagnie, dont la fermeture a été décidée par Washington en novembre 2001 parce qu'elle était suspectée de contacts avec le réseau Al-Qaïda, fut créée après la chute du dictateur Siad Barre en 1991, se tranformant rapidement en un élément essentiel pour la survie de la population somalienne. Pendant des années, elle a reçu les versements de nombreux émigrants somaliens. En 2000, elle a transféré une somme de 650 millions de dollars. S'il est possible que des extrémistes islamiques ont utilisé ses services, son rôle est cependant considéré comme central pour des millions de Somaliens. Les Nations unies elles-mêmes ont critiqué sa fermeture."Le gel des fonds d'Al-Barakaat contribue à l'effondrement de toutes les activités économiques", a-t-on déclaré à Eldoret. (Misna, Italie, 12 novembre 2002)
* Somalia. Peace Talks "on course" - 7 November: After two days of political haggling, Somali groups meeting in the Kenyan town of Eldoret, have asked the mediators to determine the number of delegates to remain at the peace talks. Members of the leaders' committee (comprising representatives of the faction leaders, the Transitional National Government [TNB] and civil society), which met on 4 November, failed to agree on the number of delegates from each group to be allocated to various committees, he said. "Last night (6 November), the leaders' committee decided to transfer the issue to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) technical committee for it to come up with an acceptable number of delegates. They are basically admitting they have failed, and so they want the technical committee to make the decisions, with some guidance from them. There are over 1,000 delegates now, and the original list allowed for only 350". 8 November: The leaders of eight factions have sent a letter of protest to the organisers of the peace conference against the way the conference is being conducted by the organisers. 11 November: Warlords and the TNG have issued a joint call for an end to the freeze on the assets of the al-Barakaat bank. The freeze was imposed after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, after it was accused of helping terrorist groups finance their activities. Before the ban, al-Barakaat was Somalia's largest employer, while hundreds of thousands and probably millions of Somalis depended on it to transfer money throughout the world. 13 November: The office of Elijah Mwangale, the Kenyan special envoy and chairman of the peace talks, says the peace talks "are on course". -- The various factions and the TNG have signed a commitment to ban the use of landmines in areas under their control. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 November 2002)
* South Africa. Fish fight goes to court - Fishermen in South Africa have begun a legal battle with the government over fishing rights in the waters of the South Atlantic. Members of the fishing community claim they're getting a raw deal from a new quota system. But the authorities say the arrangements are now much fairer than they were under apartheid. Some say there are simply not enough fish to sustain a large industry and fishermen should look for alternative careers. In Hout Bay harbour, about 20 minutes drive from Cape Town, the days catch of fresh snook fish is being auctioned on the quayside. Seagulls and seals grab their lunch for free, everyone else has to pay 13 rand per fish. But many fisherman are far from happy with the price. One fisherman said the combination of the low price he receives for the fish and inflation means that he is not making a profit. The disappointing price for today's catch isn't the only thing worrying these fishermen. They are angry at a fishing quota law which they claim is threatening their livelihoods. It is designed to preserve fish stocks in the Atlantic, but as with many other things in South Africa race plays a part. Under apartheid the fishing industry was controlled by whites. Now more than half the owners are from the black majority, many firms are managed by black and mixed race people. Yet, Hout Bay fishermen Eragfaan Davids complains the quotas are not being distributed fairly. "It's the people who've got money and who are more involved with the politicians, those are the people who get the quotas," he said. (BBC News, UK, 8 November 2002)
* Afrique du Sud. Retour de l'extrême droite - Le 11 novembre, un groupe d'extrémistes de droite, inconnu jusqu'à présent et se présentant comme les "Combattants de la nation boer", a revendiqué les attentats à la bombe qui ont fait un mort et un blessé à Soweto, près de Johannesburg, dans la nuit du 29 au 30 octobre. "Nous déclarons que ces attaques sont le commencement de la fin du gouvernement du Congrès national africain (ANC, au pouvoir) et nous acceptons l'entière responsabilité de nos actes", déclare ce groupe dans la presse. Les Combattants de la nation boer avertissent dans leur lettre qu'ils préparent une campagne "pour la saison de Noël". Le message demande aussi la libération de 35 détenus d'extrême droite. (Libération, France, 12 novembre 2002)
* South Africa. Apartheid accused to be named - A list of international banks and companies that will face legal action for allegedly supporting South Africa's apartheid regime is to be disclosed today in Johannesburg, amid new concern about the negative impact of such lawsuits on foreign investment in Africa. The class action is being brought on behalf of 85 victims of apartheid by a team of lawyers headed by Michael Hausfeld, an American, and Charles Abrahams, a South African. It targets companies and banks accused of profiting from the white minority regime. Mr Abrahams confirmed on 11 November that the Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS were being sued, as well as banks and companies in the US, Germany, England, France and the Netherlands. "The firms which we are suing allowed the main culprit -- the apartheid state -- to commit crimes against humanity," he said. The new lawsuit is separate from another multi-billion-dollar case which had its first hearing in August in New York. The decision to pursue two parallel lawsuits was taken by South African non-governmental organisations and human rights groups which felt uneasy about the tactics employed by Edward Fagan, the US lawyer heading the team. (Financial Times, UK, 12 November 2002)
* Afrique du Sud. "Complices de l'apartheid" - Jubilee 2000, une coalition sud-africaine qui regroupe 4.000 ONG, a déposé une plainte à New York contre vingt banques et entreprises occidentales, accusées d'avoir coopéré avec le régime de l'apartheid. Les entreprises visées sont américaines, suisses, allemandes, britanniques, françaises et néerlandaises. Elles ont, par leurs prêts et investissements, financé le régime d'apartheid, lui permettant de survivre malgré les sanctions de l'Onu, selon les ONG, qui réclament des dédommagements. (Le Soir, Belgique, 13 novembre 2002)
* Swaziland. Official faces sedition charge - 9 November: Swaziland's attorney general has been charged with sedition after ordering the dismissal of three judges hearing a case about a girl allegedly abducted to marry the king. The director of public prosecutions said the action by Phesheya Dlamini had caused the Swazi Government to be viewed with contempt at home and abroad. The attorney general said he was acting on instructions. Legal observers believe he was following orders from the palace and has been made a scapegoat because of the bad publicity surrounding the case. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 November 2002)
* Swaziland. Le jet privé du roi - Des bailleurs de fonds qui avaient offert de l'aide pour l'acquisition de moyens de production agricole, ont suspendu cette aide en raison de l'entêtement du gouvernement swazi à acheter un jet privé de luxe, de 450 millions de rands, au roi Mswati III. Ainsi, les pays de l'Union européenne veulent cesser leur aide au Swaziland, estimant que le pays a suffisament d'argent pour nourrir une population mourant de faim. L'ambassadeur de la Grande-Bretagne a critiqué l'acharnement du gouvernement dans l'achat de cet appareil au moment où des milliers de gens meurent de faim. Le gouvernement italien a déclaré qu'il "agirait en conséquence". Mais le 11 novembre, Magwagwa Mdluli, le ministre de l'Energie, a soutenu que ce jet était indispensable pour la sécurité du roi durant ses voyages pour attirer les investisseurs tout en lançant un appel à l'aide alimentaire aux pays donateurs. (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 12 novembre 2002)
* Swaziland. Buying a royal jet - 12 November: The King of Swaziland is to take delivery of a $45 million royal jet, despite the country's parliament voting to cancel the order. Senior government minister Magwagwa Mdluli said the cabinet had now approved delivery of the plane because it would allow King Mswati III to fly safely when seeking foreign aid and investment. Last August, the United Nations reported that a quarter of Swaziland's one million population faced severe food shortages due to drought unless millions of dollars of food aid was granted. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 November 2002)
* Sudan. Catholic missionary gets award from Government - A Comboni missionary nun has received an awarded from one of the most fundamentalist Islamist regimes in Africa. The high recognition of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Beshir has been given to Sister Callista Cozzi, 81, who in 1946 decided to dedicate her life to Sudan. At the end of October, the Sudanese authorities conferred a honourary doctorate on Sister Callista for her tireless obstetrical work in the maternity section of Omdurman, a town near Khartoum, the capital. Sister Callista herself founded the 200-bed hospital, one of the major health centres in Sudan. "This recognition honours me, yet not only me but all the Comboni community to which I belong," she said. It is not the first time that al-Beshir's Muslim government recognized the merits of this woman religious. Last January, the head of state conferred on Sister Callista "in the name of the merciful Allah," Sudan's most important honour, the Order of Merit of the first degree. That award was in recompense "for the excellency of her work in the long and tireless service to mothers and children." In 1995, the National Health Department also honoured her work. Sister Callista does not know how many children she has helped to bring into the world. "I have never counted them. An average of 40 to 45 children are born every day in our hospital," she said. (Zenit, Italy, 8 November 2002)
* Sudan. Sudanese hit by fly-borne disease - A severe outbreak of the fly-borne parasitic disease Kala Azar is devastating some southern Sudanese communities exhausted by malnutrition and war, medical charity Medécins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on 8 November. Kala Azar, or Visceral Leishmaniasis, is transmitted by the tiny sand fly and attacks people weakened by hunger and fatigue. Fatal if untreated, the disease disrupts the liver and spleen, causing fever and severe weight loss and an enlarged spleen. "It is an overwhelming scene, with so many of the people coming to the clinic every day more dead than alive," an MSF statement quoted MSF Operational Director Jose-Antonio Bastos as saying. "The state of these patients is appalling. They are being carried on stretchers for days to make it to the clinic. They look pale and thin and are extremely anaemic." The disease is endemic in parts of the Eastern African nations of Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia and usually peaks at this time of year. But the strength of the current outbreak is exceptional and shows a dramatic increase compared to the same seasons in recent years, MSF said. "While peace talks go on, large parts of southern Sudan are still inaccessible to aid organizations and diseases like Kala Azar continue to claim thousands of lives," MSF said. Sudan's government and southern rebels are holding peace talks in Kenya to try to end a war that has killed an estimated two million people since it began in 1983. (CNN, USA, 9 November 2001)
* Chad. HRW honours African justice leader - 7 November: On 13 November, Human Rights Watch (HRW) will give its highest recognition to Souletmane Guengueng, a torture victim who leads the campaign to bring the former dictator of Chad, Hissène Habré to justice. Guengueng's pioneering effort seeks to break the cycle of impunity on the war-torn African continent. Founder of the Chadian Association of Victims of Political Repression and Crime (AVCRP), Souleymane Guengueng has worked to record and publicize the atrocities of Habré's regime (1982-1990). Habré now lives in exile in senegal, where he was indicted two years ago on charges of torture and crimes against humanity, after a complaint filed by the AVCRP with the support of a coalition led by HRW. Habré's victims are now seeking his extradition from Senegal to stand trial in Belgium. (HRW, 7 November 2002) 

Weekly News - anb1114.txt - #6/7