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Weekly anb11217.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 21-11-2002      PART #7/7
* Soudan. Trêve reconduite - Le 18 novembre à Nairobi, le gouvernement soudanais et la rébellion du sud du pays, en guerre depuis 1983, sont convenus de prolonger une trêve signée en octobre dernier et de poursuivre jusqu'au 31 mars 2003 leurs pourparlers de paix sur les questions en suspens. Au terme d'un second protocole, relatif à la structure de gouvernement, les deux parties ont affirmé reconnaître la souveraineté nationale du Soudan, et la nécessité de donner une expression aux aspirations des populations du Sud-Soudan dans toutes les sphères du gouvernement. L'accord prévoit notamment la création d'un Parlement bicaméral et le partage des richesses nationales, mais il reste des détails à régler. Les deux parties ont également accepté d'accorder une autonomie régionale au sud du pays, mais ne sont pas d'accord sur la limite géographique du Sud. Le texte stipule cependant que les parties "sont parvenues à un accord sur le partage du pouvoir, l'appareil judiciare et les droits de l'homme", et qu'elles s'accordent à "organiser des élections libres et justes" en une période intérimaire de six ans. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 novembre 2002)
* Sudan/Uganda. Ugandan army banned from Sudan - 19 November: Sudan has withdrawn its permission for Ugandan soldiers to use its territory to track down Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said the agreement had not been renewed because Uganda had not given a time limit for their presence or specified where they would be operating. The Ugandan army started "Operation Iron Fist" in March, after being authorised to enter Sudan to hunt LRA fighters. Previously, Sudan had backed the LRA, while Ugandan had supported Sudan's SPLA rebels. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 November 2002)
* Tanzania. Uranium seized - 14 November: Police in Tanzania say they have seized 110kg of suspected uranium and arrested five people, including a national of Congo RDC. In its raw form --yellow powder -- uranium can be used to make radioactive material for the nuclear industries. The suspected uranium, which was ready to be sold in four plastic containers, came from a neighbouring country, but investigators will name it only when an investigation has been completed. The containers were transported through three towns in south-western Tanzania, including Kigoma. One of the five people arrested, a Congolese national, has been named as Makambo Mayunga. The other four are all Tanzanians, including a woman who is an economist with the civil service. The Director of criminal investigations, Adadi Rajab, said that it was not yet clear if the find was linked to terrorism but thought "they were just doing business". He said that in recent months, five tanks of suspected uranium had been seized. Mr Rajab warned Tanzanians to beware of handling the hazardous material without taking proper safety precautions. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 November 2002)
* Tanzania. Muslims fight terror bill - 15 November: Muslims have held a special prayer in the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, for all the people who prepared and passed a terrorism bill adopted by the parliament last week. The bill has been opposed by a number of people in Tanzania, especially Muslims, who say it will intimidate and oppress them. Today, the Mosque Council of Tanzania has warned President Benjamin Mkapa to be cautious when he signs the bill because, it said, some of its clauses will cause unrest in the country. The United States has also been accused of influencing the bill, which the US ambassador in Dar es Salaam has denied. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 November 2002)
* Tanzanie. 19 détenus asphyxiés - Le dimanche soir 17 novembre, dix-neuf pensionnaires d'une prison du centre de la Tanzanie ont péri asphyxiés dans une cellule bondée, a annoncé le ministre de l'Intérieur. Selon la police, 115 détenus avaient été entassés dans une cellule, prévue pour accueillir 30 personnes au maximum. Sept prisonniers seraient en outre dans un état grave. (Le Figaro, France, 20 novembre 2002)
* Tanzania. Prisoners die in cell - 19 November: Nineteen prisoners have suffocated to death in an overcrowded cell in south-western Tanzania. Fifteen others have been taken to hospital, including at least two who are in a critical condition. Up to 130 inmates had been packed into a cell supposed to hold only 30 people at Mbarali police station in Mbeya region. The victims were among 85 suspects who had been moved from a remand jail to the police station so that they could attend a hearing at a nearby district court on Monday. "Mbarali is a new district. There is a police station and a court, but it has no prison facilities and the police custody there has the capacity to accommodate only 30 people," Dr Kajoka, Mbarali District Medical officer said. 20 November: Six police officers have been arrested in connection with the deaths. (BBC News, UK, 20 November 2002)
* Tunisie/France. Conventions de financement - Le 14 novembre, le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, M. de Villepin, était à Tunis pour une courte visite officielle. Les entretiens ont touché notamment la question de la lutte antiterroriste et surtout les relations économiques. M. de Villepin et son homologue tunisien M. Habib ben Yahia ont signé trois conventions d'un montant global de 7,4 millions d'euros. L'aide française concerne l'agriculture, l'enseignement du français et l'archéologie. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 15 novembre 2002)
* Uganda. Huge cost of AIDS to Uganda - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said the effects of HIV/AIDS and malaria are costing his country more than $1bn a year. He said the direct health costs of treatment, together with lost wealth as a result of reduced manpower, are the main reasons for the huge losses. "We lose an estimated $702m to the AIDS epidemic and another $348m to malaria," he told a five-day conference of Commonwealth health ministers from eastern, central and southern Africa. "Comparing it with how much we earn from coffee, this loss is several times bigger," President Museveni said. Uganda's gross domestic product is only about $6 billion a year. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 November 2002)
* Ouganda. Affrontements dans le nord - Le lundi soir, 18 novembre, des combats entre l'armée et les rebelles de l'Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA) ont fait 32 morts dans les deux camps dans le nord du pays. Au moins 28 rebelles et 4 soldats ont été tués dans de violents combats dans le village de Kamon-Ogwii, à 75 km à l'est de la ville de Pader, a annoncé un porte-parole de l'armée. Sept autres soldats ont été sérieusement blessés. D'autre part, les forces gouvernementales ont libéré, dimanche, 58 civils retenus en captivité par la LRA dans le district de Kitgum. La LRA aurait aussi perdu deux commandants dans des accrochages dans le comté d'Alero. Depuis 1986, la LRA est plongée dans une guerre interminable contre le gouvernement. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 novembre 2002)
* Zambia. $50m famine aid - 20 November: Zambia is to receive $50m in emergency assistance from the World Bank, to help it deal with the effects of the famine devastating Southern Africa. The money -- $20m of which comes as a grant, with the rest as a loan -- is intended to fund critical imports of goods needed to stave off the worst effects of the drought affecting the entire region. The urban poor, who in normal years spend up to 60% of their income on food, can scarcely afford to pay today's higher prices High on the list of priorities are farming equipment, livestock, medicines, construction supplies and vehicles. The aim is to shore up the country's tattered infrastructure and keep emergency supplies running to the 2.9 million Zambians -- more than a quarter of the population -- who need direct assistance as a result of the drought. (BBC News, UK, 20 November 2002)
* Zambia/Zimbabwe. Farmers ousted by Mugabe scratch a living in Zambia - Graham Rae was among the most productive white farmers in Zimbabwe and employed hundreds of black workers before he was branded an "economic saboteur" by supporters of Robert Mugabe and thrown off his land. Today, as with other once-prosperous farmers who suffered the same fate, Mr Rae has had to start again from scratch in neighbouring Zambia, going cap in hand to investors at a time when he should have been preparing for retirement. Mr Rae and his colleagues were, not so long ago, among the wealthiest of Zimbabweans. But, because of President Mugabe's violent confiscation of their land, many white farmers are now forced to make a living selling hamburgers in Europe while others have become shopkeepers, waiters and waitresses in countries as far afield as Australia and America. Mr Rae is among those who accepted offers of huge tracts of land in neighbouring countries. Mr Mugabe has banned them from taking their equipment and has refused to compensate them for equipment left behind as required by law. He has also ignored calls from the Zambian government to allow the farmers to recover their goods. The British Government has steadfastly refused to help the farmers, arguing that to do so would amount to bankrolling Mr Mugabe's chaotic land reforms. (Independent, UK, 15 November 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Black market curbs - 14 November: Zimbabwe is planning a crackdown on the black-market currency business by closing every bureau de change in the country. The plan, which will go into force by the end of November, is intended to rein in a parallel market in which a single US dollar is worth as many as 1,500 Zimbabwe dollars. The official rate -- at which all export earnings must be exchanged -- is just Zim $55 to the US dollar. The announcement formed part of the 2003 Budget statement, during which Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa admitted that the country's economy would contract by 11.9% this year, after shrinking by 7.3% in 2001. Mr Murerwa's announcement undercut even economists' most doleful predictions of a 10% contraction. The problem, he told parliament in Harare, was the drought afflicting most of southern Africa -- coupled with "the necessary uncertainties associated with the land reform programme". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 November 2002)
* Zimbabwe. ONG menacées - Le 14 novembre, le ministre zimbabwéen du Travail, du service public et du bien-être social, July Moyo, a menacé d'arrestations les responsables d'organisations non gouvernementales, accusées d'opérer illégalement dans le pays. L'une d'elles, Amani Trust, qui vient en aide aux victimes de violences politiques, est particulièrement visée. (La Croix, France, 15 novembre 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Prices frozen - 15 November: The impact of the fast-track land reform programme has rippled through the economy, but it is recognised that the country's once robust agro-industries have been the hardest hit. The Minister of Finance admits the economy requires urgent corrective action to avert further deterioration. 16 November: The Zimbabwean Government has announced sweeping price freezes on a wide range of goods in a move to tackle the country's deepening economic crisis. The freeze applies to products such as food, fuel, medicines, electrical appliances, agricultural machinery, fertilisers and school textbooks, according to the state-owned Herald newspaper. Inflation in Zimbabwe is running at a record level of 135% and nearly half the country's 12 million inhabitants are facing starvation. In his budget speech on 14 November, Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa said price controls imposed earlier on some staple goods were not working. Business leaders say the measures have led to increased shortages and more black market trading. According to The Herald, the latest price freeze has been imposed to stop manufacturers evading price controls "by re-branding and reducing the size of some products to those not controlled". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 November 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Gestures at Mugabe banned - The government has banned swearing or making offensive gestures at President Robert Mugabe's motorcade in what critics say is a sign of his growing unpopularity. The government, grappling with food shortages and a collapsing economy, said it had amended road traffic rules to make it illegal for people to behave in an untoward manner towards a state motorcade. "On the approach and during the passing of a state motorcade, a driver shall not make any gesture or statement within the view or hearing of the state motorcade with the intention of insulting any person travelling with an escort or any member of the escort," a government notice said. The 78-year-old Mugabe, in power for 22 years, normally travels in a convoy of over 20 cars and motorcycle outriders, forcing grumbling motorists and pedestrians to give way. Opponents say the new traffic laws posed a serious threat to democracy and follow harsh new media and security laws signed into law earlier this year. Two weeks ago, police arrested a man for carrying a poster in a Harare township saying God would punish Mugabe for "evils done" to the people. The man was detained under a tough security law that forbids people from denigrating the president. "We are getting a real dictatorship now where people are not allowed to express themselves, where everyone is expected to pretend that he has no grievances against the state," said Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly, a coalition of civic groups campaigning for a new constitution. Members of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change say the motorcade is an unnecessary expense in a country struggling through its worst economic crisis since Mugabe led the country to independence from Britain in 1980. (CNN, USA, 18 November 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Fin des expropriations? - Coup de théâtre au Zimbabwe: les fermiers blancs qui n'ont pas encore fait leurs valises pourraient bien être autorisés à rester sur leurs propriétés, indique l'hebdomadaire Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent le 18 novembre. C'est en tous cas ce qu'a laissé entendre, le 11 novembre à Pretoria, Joseph Made, ministre zimbabwéen de l'Agriculture, lors de la tenue de la première commission conjointe Afrique du Sud-Zimbabwe depuis 1996. "Le programme des acquisitions est terminé, a-t-il assuré. Nous ne souhaitons plus que ceux qui veulent des terres se livrent à de nouvelles occupations". Une déclaration qui mettrait un terme aux expulsions brutales orchestrées depuis le 8 août dans le cadre de la réforme agraire du président Mugabe. -D'autre part, le 18 novembre, lors d'une réunion avec les représentants des diverses confessions religieuses, le ministre des Affaires spéciales de la présidence, John Nkomo, a appelé les Eglises à aider le gouvernement à trouver des solutions aux tensions et aux craintes grandissantes de la société, rapporte l'agence Misna. Au cours de la même réunion, M. Made a rassuré les participants au sujet de l'avenir des exploitations agricoles qui dépendent des Eglises locales, inclues dans la liste des expropriations. Ces fermes ont été déclassées, a-t-il spécifié. Le gouvernement a pris cette décision pour permettre que ces structures puissent continuer à aider la population. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 novembre 2002) 

Weekly anb1121.txt - #7/7 THE ENDS



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Un homme meurt chaque fois que l'un d'entre nous se tait devant la tyrannie (W. Soyinka, Prix Nobel litterature) 
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Everytime somebody keep silent when faced with tyranny, someone else dies (Wole Syinka, Nobel Prize for Literature) * 
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