Weekly anb01092.txt #9

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 09-01-2003      PART #2/9

* Angola. Minefields halt food aid  -  2 January: The discovery of 
landmines has halted food aid deliveries to an estimated 40,000 hungry 
people in Angola. The southern African country brought an end to nearly 
three decades of civil war last April, but large areas of the countryside 
remain scattered with mines from the conflict. Millions of people were 
forced to flee their homes by the fighting. The World Food Programme (WFP) 
spokesman Marcelo Spina said the discovery of minefields on several 
distribution routes over the past month had halted aid deliveries to around 
40,000 people in three separate locations. "We were assisting those three 
areas but we had to interrupt the distribution. There are many other areas 
that we cannot even access because of landmines. The total number of people 
who are suffering because of the presence of landmines is unknown". He said 
the locations affected were in the northern province of Malanje, Cuando 
Cubango in the southeast and the central province of Huambo. "We are 
alerting the whole community -- both locally and the international 
community -- of the need for demining, which is very expensive," he said. 
Spina said the WFP hoped to bring in a helicopter to assess the needs of 
people living in inaccessible areas. He said the agency would identify key 
routes to be demined to allow deliveries, and was preparing for a possible 
airlift of food to the worst-hit areas.   (CNN, USA, 2 January 2003)

* Angola. Unita apologises for Angolan war  -  8 January: The former rebel 
movement in Angola, Unita, has apologised for its part in the 27-year civil 
war. In an interview broadcast on national radio, Unita's secretary for 
political affairs, Abilio Camalata Numa, said his movement took 
responsibility for the many lives lost and asked the people for its 
forgiveness. But he defended what he called the political project which had 
been the reason for the war. Unita -- which has become a political party -- 
signed a ceasefire with the Angolan Government in April. Human rights 
activists in Angola call on the government to follow UNITA's 
lead.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 January 2003)

* Bénin. Résultats des municipales  -  Le 5 janvier, la Commission 
électorale nationale autonome (CENA) a proclamé les résultats définitfs du 
scrutin municipal et communal du 15 décembre dans 11 des 12 départements 
administratifs. Sur 1.199 sièges à pourvoir au premier tour, la mouvance 
constituée par la liste de l'Union du Bénin pour le futur (UBF) et celle de 
certaines formations soutenant l'action du président Kérékou ont obtenu 564 
sièges; la Renaissance du Bénin de l'ancien président Soglo et le Parti du 
renouveau démocratique de Me Houngbédji en ont remporté 191; et les 
candidats indépendants 105. Les résultats du département du Littoral, où se 
trouve la commune de Cotonou, n'ont pas encore été communiqués, suite à de 
graves irrégularités constatées, a dit le président de la CENA. La date du 
déroulement du second tour, là où il y a ballotage, sera rendue publique 
après la proclamation des résultats de ce département.   (PANA, Sénégal, 6 
janvier 2003)

* Benin. Presidential bloc wins majority of seats in local councils  -  The 
coalition of political parties led by President Mathieu Kerekou's Union of 
Tomorrow's Benin (UBF) has won over 47 percent of the 1,199 seats contested 
in local elections held last 15 December. According to the final results 
proclaimed on 7 January by the National Independent Election Commission 
(CENA), the presidential bloc landed 567 seats in the country's 12 
Divisions. The opposition Benin Renaissance (RB) of former President 
Nicephore Soglo and the Party for Democratic Revival (PRD) of House Speaker 
Adrien Houngbedji won 217 seats, while independent candidates have got 105 
seats. The remaining 310 seats would be decided in runoffs. The opposition 
took the lead in two of the three main cities accorded special status -- 
Parakou, Porto Novo and Cotonou, with the RB winning 26 out of the 45 seats 
in Cotonou, while the presidential coalition had only three. The remaining 
16 seats will be decided in the runoffs. In Porto-Novo, the PRD won almost 
all the seats (27 out of 29). According to CENA chairman Soule Agbetou, the 
runoffs will take place on 19 January.   (PANA, Senegal, 8 January 2003)

* Burundi. Aid to demobilised fighters  -  The European Union has granted 
500,000 euro to the World Food Programme (WFP) to cater for the needs for a 
month of 14,000 demobilised fighters in Burundi. The funds are destined for 
the purchase of relief food and medication for demobilised CNND-FDD 
fighters following a cease-fire signed on 2 December in Arusha, Tanzania, 
between Bujumbura and the rebels. According to the statement, CNND-FDD 
fighters are currently stationed in camps in Kibira National Park in 
Bubanza Province.   (PANA, Senegal, 7 January 2003)

* Burundi. Report du cessez-le-feu  -  30 décembre. Un cessez-le-feu entre 
les forces gouvernementales et le principal mouvement rebelle, les Forces 
pour la défense de la démocratie (FDD), a été reporté à une date ultérieure 
et n'est donc pas entré en vigueur le 30 décembre comme prévu. "Cela n'a 
pas été possible parce qu'il (le cessez-le-feu) était conditionné par 
l'arrivée de la Mission africaine, la mise en place de la Commission mixte 
de cessez-le-feu et le cantonnement des belligérants", a indiqué le 
ministre de la Coopération internationale, M. Sinunguruza. -- 3 janvier. Au 
moins deux bataillons des FDD auraient pris le contrôle de plusieurs 
endroits dans la province de Ruyigi (est) au cours des dernières 48 heures. 
Les deux bataillons, totalisant entre 600 et 1.100 combattants, seraient 
venus de la Tanzanie voisine. Dès leur arrivée sur le sol burundais, ils 
auraient rapidement érigé un camp d'entraînement pour de nouvelles recrues. 
L'armée régulière a dénoncé une violation flagrante de l'accord de 
cessez-le-feu du 2 décembre dernier. -- 6 janvier. Au moins neuf personnes 
ont été tuées, le lundi en fin de matinée, à Kamenge, un quartier populaire 
du nord de Bujumbura, à la suite d'un accrochage entre une patrouille de 
l'armée régulière et des éléments rebelles infiltrés. Un soldat et 8 
rebelles ont été tués, selon le porte-parole de l'armée, qui attribue les 
hostilités au second mouvement rebelle, les Forces nationales de libération 
(FNL), très actif dans les alentours de Bujumbura. - Ce même jour, lors 
d'une visite éclair, le ministre belge des Affaires étrangères, M. Louis 
Michel, a lancé un appel aux FNL pour qu'elles rejoignent la table des 
négociations. Il a assuré que la Belgique est prête à s'engager dans le 
financement des opérations d'intégration des rebelles dans l'armée du 
Burundi. D'autre part, le 7 janvier, l'Union européenne a débloqué une aide 
de 500.000 euros en faveur de 14.000 combattants FDD démobilisés au Burundi 
et qui rejoignent les camps de regroupement.   (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 7 janvier 2003)

* Burundi. Buyoya says he is ready to resign unconditionally  -  Burundi's 
leader Pierre Buyoya has expressed his willingness to resign from his post 
on 1 May, the expiry date of the first 18-month transitional period 
provided for in the Arusha accord, "if this is the consensus of all Burundi 
people." Visibly emotional, Buyoya was obliged to make the statement after 
the president of the parliament, Jean Minani, declared that it was 
imperative that he should submit to the "political change of power" 
provided for by the Arusha political accord. Speaking during a presentation 
of New Year's wishes to the head of state by constituent bodies, Minani 
said he was anxious to see such a change of power take place 
"automatically, peacefully, without rumours, commentaries or despair." He 
complimented Buyoya for having taken the country through important steps 
towards peace, adding that this would be his legacy to the history of the 
country. Buyoya has been credited for his moderation and perception in 
getting the country out of its grave crisis. According to some observers, 
the new discussions between the belligerents in the civil war should lead 
to a new political order in the country.   (PANA, Senegal, 8 January 2003)

* Burundi. Buyoya disposé à céder le pouvoir  -  Le chef de l'Etat 
burundais, Pierre Buyoya, a affirmé le 7 janvier à Bujumbura qu'il est 
disposé à abandonner ses fonctions le 1er mai prochain, date de 
l'expiration de la première période transitoire de 18 mois prévue dans 
l'accord d'Arusha, "si tel est le consensus de tous les Burundais". M. 
Buyoya a dû faire cette mise au point après que le président du Parlement, 
Jean Minani, avait déclaré qu'il devaiit impérativement se plier à 
"l'alternance politique" prévue. La question du départ de M. Buyoya avait 
cessé d'être d'actualité ces derniers temps avec l'enclenchement d'un 
nouveau processus de paix. Certains observateurs estiment que les nouvelles 
discussions directes entre les véritables belligérants dans la guerre 
civile devraient déboucher sur un nouvel ordre politique dans le pays, qui 
sera difficile à mettre en place sans l'actuel chef de l'Etat. Celui-ci est 
en effet crédité d'une plus grande modération et clairvoyance au sein de la 
classe politique burundaise pour sortir le pays de la crise.   (PANA, 
Sénégal, 8 janvier 2003)

* Cape Verde. Vocational training a priority  -  The Cape Verde government 
will in 2003 continue its policy of vocational training in order to fill 
gaps and seize opportunities in the labour market, sources affirmed on 6 
January. The decision was motivated by several prospects, notably a 
forecast economic growth of 5 per cent this year, Jose Manuel Veiga, 
managing director of the Employment and Vocational Training Institute 
(IEFP) said. Veiga announced that the Assomada employment centre in Santa 
Catarina commune will be completed and start operating in June, while 
construction of the employment centre in Sao Filipe on Fogo Island will 
start in the first quarter of the year. He said Pedra Badejo Training 
Centre in the Santa Cruz provides training in electricity, civil 
engineering and computer science. Also envisaged for this year is 
construction of the Auto da Variante Training Centre as part of the 
Integrated Vocational Training Project.   (PANA, Senegal, 7 January 2003)

* Centrafrique. Le cri des évêques  -  Le 31 décembre, la conférence 
épiscopale centrafricaine a relayé "le cri de détresse de la population 
centrafricaine qui gémit, pleure et enterre ses fils et ses filles en 
silence, loin des caméras des pays occidentaux". Selon les évêques, "depuis 
la dernière tentative de coup d'Etat, le 25 octobre, les hommes en armes 
ont pris la population civile en otage". Neuf des seize préfectures du pays 
seraient isolées de la capitale et "bientôt à la merci des coupeurs de 
route et des braconniers tchadiens et soudanais qui sévissent entre 
décembre et mars". -- Par ailleurs, le président Patassé a nommé Mgr Paulin 
Pomodimo, évêque de Bossangoa et président de la conférence épiscopale, 
comme coordinateur d'un "dialogue national". Il sera assisté par M. Henri 
Maidou, qui fut Premier ministre à l'époque de Bokassa. Bossangoa est 
actuellement la citadelle des insurgés, et est le lieu d'origine des deux 
protagonistes actuels, le président Patassé et le général Bozizé. -- 
D'autre part, rappelons que le 29 décembre, le contingent expéditionnaire 
libyen, présent depuis 20 mois, a été retiré et remplacé par une force 
régionale de paix, mandatée par la Communauté économique et monétaire 
d'Afrique centrale (CEMAC). Sur les 350 soldats prévus, quelque 200 
militaires gabonais sont arrrivés à Bangui, pour protéger les "institutions 
républicaines" et sécuriser les frontières, notamment avec le 
Tchad.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 2 janvier 2003)

* Central Afr. Rep. Opposition leader in hiding  -  2 January: The leader 
of the opposition in the Central African Republic, Enoch Derant-Lakoue, is 
in hiding after security forces tried to arrest him earlier this week. Mr 
Derant-Lakoue's Coordination of Opposition Political Parties (CPPO) 
organised successful protests in Bangui last week, encouraging thousands of 
people to bang their pots over the continued presence of Congolese rebels 
in the country. The rebels of the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC), 
allied to President Ange-Felix Patasse, were accused of looting and raping 
in Bangui after a failed coup in October. Meanwhile, Mr Patasse has asked 
France to deploy troops in his country to help restore peace "as it is 
currently doing in Côte d'Ivoire". Libyan troops who had been protecting Mr 
Patasse since an abortive coup in May 2001 withdrew last week. The 
opposition demands the release of all young people who were arrested in the 
"drum-beating" operation last week, including, it says, children as young 
as six. 8 January: Supporters of the dissident military chief, François 
Bozize, have refuted allegations that fighters within their ranks looted 
homes during the fighting with government forces.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 
January 2003)

* Central Afr. Rep. WFP receives additional funding for emergency food 
aid  -  The World Food Programme (WFP) in the Central African Republic 
(CAR) capital, Bangui, has this month received US $500,000 from its Rome 
headquarters to buy emergency food aid for people in the north of the 
country, the agency's national director, David Bulman, said on 4 January. 
The money, he said, would also be used "to provide some food aid for people 
to install themselves back in their homes". The WFP, would now be able to 
buy 600 to 700 mt of food, depending on market prices. Purchase and 
shipment of the consignment would, he said, take about six months. "We have 
some stocks in the country for another project, and we will borrow on those 
stocks in order to feed the priority groups and IDPs [internally displaced 
persons] in the back country," Bulman said. "The incoming food stocks will 
last one or two months, depending on the number of beneficiaries, which had 
not yet been established".   (IRIN, Kenya, 7 January 2003)

* Comoros. Government extradites mercenaries to France  -  The Comoros has 
begun the extradition to France of seven alleged mercenaries accused of 
taking part in a botched coup attempt in December 2001, news agencies 
reported on 7 January. The first of the seven suspects was extradited on 4 
January to face trial, while the others will be escorted out of the Indian 
Ocean archipelago in pairs in the following days. The coup-prone 
archipelago recently decided on a power-sharing arrangement which gives 
greater autonomy to the three smaller islands in the Indian Ocean 
republic.   (IRIN, Kenya, 8 January 2003)

Weekly anb0109.txt - #2/9