Weekly anb03136.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 13-03-2003      PART #6/7

* Nigeria. Appel à l'aide  -  Plus de 100.000 personnes ont été déplacées à 
la suite d'affrontements au nord et au sud du Nigeria. Le 7 mars, la 
Croix-Rouge, seule ONG sur place, a lancé un appel à l'aide humanitaire 
internationale. Plus de 200 personnes sont déjà décédées au cours de leur 
fuite, de blessures ou de faim.   (Libération, France, 8 mars 2003)

* Nigeria. Pénurie de produits pétroliers  -  Le 10 mars, la Société 
nationale nigériane des hydrocarbures (NNPC) et les principales sociétés de 
commercialisation des produits pétroliers n'ont pas réussi à s'entendre sur 
la manière de mettre un terme à la pénurie qui frappe ce pays producteur de 
pétrole depuis deux semaines. Les deux parties se sont mutuellement 
accusées d'être à l'origine de cette situation. Les distributeurs accusent 
la NNPC de ne pas fournir assez de produits et de refuser son aide à 
l'importation de carburant. De son côté, la NNPC accuse les distributeurs 
de détourner les produits et de détenir des stocks qu'ils refusent de 
mettre sur le marché.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 10 mars 2003)

* Nigeria. Catholic Bishops' Conference  -  7 March: The search for an 
enduring peace in the nation; the sustenance of democracy and the success 
of the forthcoming elections will be the focus of the deliberations of the 
Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, when it holds its First Plenary 
Assembly for 2003, at Pope John Paul II Pastoral Centre, Abuja, 11-14 March 
2003. The theme of the meeting is: "Seeking The Way of Peace". In view of 
recent events in the country, the Bishops decided to address this theme to 
promote further reconciliation and peace among the people of God. During 
the same period, the Catholic University of Nigeria (CUNA) will be launched 
on 13 March at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. The venture is 
intended to be a monumental gift of the entire Catholic Church to the 
Nigerian nation. President Obasanjo will be the Special Guest of Honour at 
the launching. 12 March: In his homily during the opening Mass, Archbishop 
Felix Alaba Job of Ibadan regretted "the sad situation of our country and 
the world". He called on the leadership of both Church and State "to learn 
to heed the yearnings of the people, and minimize their sufferings". The 
president of the Conference, Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja in his 
welcome address, reminded Catholics going into partisan politics that they 
have the social teachings of the Church to guide them in the pursuit of 
justice and the service of the Common Good.   (Catholic Secretariat, 
Nigeria, 7 & 12 March 2003)

* Nigeria. Les évêques pour la paix  -  Le 11 mars, les évêques du Nigeria 
se sont réunis en assemblée plénière à Abuja. Durant trois jours, ils se 
pencheront sur le thème "En cherchant les voies de la paix". Ils veulent 
promouvoir la réconciliation dans leur pays souvent déchiré par de violents 
contrastes sur fond ethnico-religieux, relancer la paix et soutenir la 
démocratie en vue des élections générales prévues le 19 avril prochain, 
dont la préparation a déjà été marquée par une série de 
violences.   (D'après Misna, Italie, 11 mars 2003)

* Nigeria. Embuscade criminelle: 17 victimes  -  Le dimanche 9 mars, des 
bandits armés ont ouvert le feu sur deux autobus, tuant 17 passagers, sur 
la route menant d'Abuja à Kaduna, dans le nord du pays. Les deux autobus 
sont tombés dans une embuscade au niveau du village de Katari, à environ 90 
km au nord d'Abuja. Les bandits ont fait signe aux autobus de s'arrêter, 
mais les conducteurs, réalisant qu'il s'agissait de voleurs, ont poursuivi 
leur route. Les agresseurs ont alors ouvert le feu sur les autobus.   (Le 
Figaro, France, 11 mars 2003)

* Rwanda. Le chouchou de Washington  -  Le voyage de Paul Kagamé à 
Washington, le 4 mars, a permis de resserrer les relations entre Kigali et 
Washington. Juste avant son départ, le chef de l'Etat rwandais, qui 
soutient fermement George W. Bush dans l'affaire irakienne, s'est vu 
décerner un brevet de bonne gouvernance par la Banque mondiale. Un rapport 
de l'institution financière dresse en effet le classement des pays les plus 
respectueux de la liberté économique et qui, du coup, ont toutes les 
chances d'être déclarés éligibles au programme MCA (Millennium Challenge 
Account), pour lequel un fonds de 5 milliards de dollars a été créé, au 
mois de novembre 2002, par l'administration américaine. Ce rapport place le 
Rwanda en tête des 74 pays étudiés, mais d'autres pays africains figurent 
en plus ou moins bonne place au palmarès. C'est notamment le cas du 
Mozambique, du Malawi, du Ghana, du Sénégal, de l'Ethiopie et du Togo. Pour 
Kigali, cette distinction est une belle victoire sur ses voisins, et 
néanmoins adversaires: l'Ouganda n'est que 28e, alors que le Congo-RDC 
n'est même pas classé.   (J.A.I., France, 9-15 mars 2003)

* Sénégal. Limousine à 8 portes  -  Un chef religieux sénégalais, Serigne 
Mansour Sy, s'est offert "la deuxième limousine du monde à huit portes", 
une Lincoln "unique en Afrique", a rapporté le quotidien sénégalais Le 
Matin. "L'autre prototype existant serait aux Etats-Unis (...), il n'y en 
aurait que deux dans le monde". Le journal publie une photo du véhicule de 
"onze mètres". Selon le reporter, "le véhicule est bien stationné dans le 
garage, au domicile d'un de ses fils". La luxueuse voiture a été achetée à 
1,25 milliard de fcfa (1,9 million d'euros), écrit le journal citant le 
chef religieux, actuel khalife général des Tidiane, une des plus puissantes 
confréries musulmanes du Sénégal.   (AFP, France, 6 mars 2003)

* Sierra Leone. War crimes arrests  -  10 March: The chief prosecutor for 
the United Nations war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone has announced the 
arrest of a senior government politician and three former rebel leaders. 
Those detained are the Sierra Leone Minister of Internal Affairs, Sam Hinga 
Norman, and the former rebel leaders Issa Sesay, Maurice Kallon and Gibril 
Massaquoi, all of the Revolutionary United Front. The rebel Foday Sankoh, 
who was already in prison facing treason charges, was also transferred into 
the hands of the court. "Today the people of Sierra Leone took back control 
of their lives and their future... The dark days of the rule of the gun are 
over," the chief prosecutor David Crane said. Mr Norman, now minister of 
Internal Affairs, was a leader of the Kamajors militia, which supported the 
government during the civil war. Both the Kamajors and the rebels were 
accused of widespread brutality, including rape arson and plunder of 
civilian property. The RUF are especially linked to the live amputation of 
limbs including those of young children. The five arrested were taken away 
by helicopter to a secure but undisclosed prison outside the capital. Two 
others, Johnny Paul Koroma and Sam Bockarie, are still at large, but have 
been indicted. The United Nations set up the Sierra Leone tribunal to 
indict and try those considered to have the greatest responsibility for war 
crimes. The first hearings are due to start shortly. However the court 
fears unrest as a result of its actions. 11 March: Sierra Leoneans welcome 
the speed with which the UN War Crimes Tribunal has proceeded.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 11 March 2003)

* Sierra Leone. Tribunal spécial de l'Onu  -  Le lundi 10 mars, le tribunal 
spécial des Nations unies pour les crimes de guerre en Sierra Leone a 
inculpé l'ancien chef de la rébellion, Foday Sankoh, et l'actuel ministre 
de l'Intérieur, Sam Hinga Norman. Ce tribunal est chargé de juger les 
personnes accusées d'avoir commis des atrocités durant la guerre civile de 
dix ans (1991-2001) qui a fait au moins 200.000 victimes. Déjà emprisonné, 
Foday Sankoh, ancien chef du Front révolutionnaire uni (RUF), a été inculpé 
avec ses lieutenants Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon et Sam Bockarie. Arrêté 
lundi, M. Norman était le chef des milices progouvernementales Kamajor. 
L'ancien chef de la junte, Johnny Paul Koroma, a également été inculpé, 
mais demeure introuvable, de même que Sam Bockarie. Selon le procureur, ces 
hommes sont accusés de "meurtre, viol, extermination, actes de terreur, 
esclavage, pillages et incendies, esclavage sexuel, enrôlement forcé 
d'enfants", entre autres chefs d'inculpation.   (Le Figaro, France, 12 mars 
2003)

* Somalia. Negotiating a Blueprint for Peace in Somalia  -  A report 
published by the International Crisis Group on 6 March, says that Somalia's 
peace talks are in danger of collapsing and need stronger leadership from 
mediators, the international community and Somali factions themselves. A 
serious problem is that faction leaders and civil society representatives 
are self-appointed, with real risk that the negotiations will produce 
another "government-in-exile" unable to provide a working administration 
inside the country that represents popular will. The 27 October 2002 
ceasefire has been violated so often it is practically meaningless. The 
Leaders Committee of the Conference appears tempted to try for a "quick 
fix", by declaring an interim government first and leaving details of a 
durable settlement to be worked out later. If there is to be hope of 
success, the new chairman and his team must redirect the process toward 
constructing a comprehensive blueprint for peace and 
governance.   (International Crisis Group, Belgium, 6 March 2003)

* Somalia. Border alert  -  11 March: Somalia's Transitional National 
Government (TNG) has put its forces on full alert. It says it is acting in 
response to reports of a heavy military build up of Ethiopia troops, tanks 
and armoured personnel carriers along the border between the two countries. 
Only last month, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he had 
occasionally sent troops into neighbouring Somalia to attack members of the 
militant Islamist group, al-Ittihad. But Ethiopia's Minister of State for 
Foreign Affairs, Dr Tekede Alemu, has said the current allegations from 
Mogadishu are "completely false". He denied that Ethiopia was massing 
troops on the border -- and he also denied an earlier charge that some 
Ethiopian forces had already crossed into Somalia. The Somali council of 
ministers has been holding an emergency meeting with parliament, to 
consider its response to what they say is the possibility of an Ethiopian 
attack. It decided to recall its delegates from faltering peace talks 
taking place in Kenya for "consultations". The meeting, which was said to 
be heated, also expressed the fear that an attack on Somalia could come 
immediately after the United States attacked Iraq, at a time when the eyes 
of the international community were elsewhere. Forces loyal to the TNG in 
the border regions of Hiran, Baklol and Gedo have now gone onto 100% 
alert.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 11 March 2003)

* Somalie. Négociations en péril  -  Le 9 mars, le gouvernement national de 
transition (TNG) a annoncé qu'il retirait ses délégués, pour consultation, 
des négociations de paix en cours à Nairobi. Ces consultations seraient 
ouvertes aux factions pro-gouvernementales et aux autonomies régionales. Le 
gouvernement a demandé d'exclure l'Ethiopie de la délégation des pays 
frontaliers, qui se met du côté des groupes d'opposition somaliens. Par 
ailleurs, le 10 mars, le TNG et le Parlement de transition de la Somalie 
tenaient une réunion extraordinaire pour discuter du déploiement massif de 
troupes éthiopiennes à la frontière. Selon des sources bien informées, des 
milliers de soldats éthiopiens ont été massés ces trois derniers jours le 
long de la frontière entre la Somalie et l'Ethiopie. Selon certains, les 
militaires éthiopiens auraient déjà franchi la frontière au sud-ouest de la 
Somalie. A l'issue de leur réunion, le TNG et le Parlement ont décrété 
l'état d'urgence, mettant toutes les forces nationales et les milices 
pro-gouvernementales en état d'alerte. Ils ont aussi saisi l'Union 
africaine, les Nations unies, la Ligue arabe et d'autres instances 
internationales d'une requête sur la question, tout en appelant les 
autorités d'Addis-Abeba à retirer leurs troupes.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 
10-11 mars 2003)

* Somalia. Somaliland begins campaign  -  12 March: Campaigning has begun 
in the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland for its first multi-party 
presidential election, which is to be held next month. The current leader 
of Somaliland, Dahir Riyaale Kahin, is being challenged by candidates from 
two opposition parties. Mr Kahin succeeded the long-standing leader of the 
breakaway republic, Mohamed Egal, following his death in May last year. 
Somaliland declared independence in 1991, as the rest of Somalia descended 
into anarchy. Mr Egal was elected president two years later, but the 
territory has never won international recognition. One of the candidates, 
Feisal Ali Warabe, has expressed doubt that the election will be free and 
fair. Election Commission chairman Abdirahman Hagi Ali Adami has also 
criticised the authorities for not handing over all the promised funds to 
supervise the elections. He has also expressed concern about a hostile 
atmosphere in eastern areas.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 March 2003)

* South Africa. Winnie denies charges  -  6 March: The former wife of 
former South African President Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, 
has denied theft and fraud charges in a court in Pretoria. Mrs 
Madikizela-Mandela is accused, alongside her financial broker Addy Moolman, 
of 60 charges of fraud and 25 of theft relating to a $120,000 bogus loans 
scheme. The former first lady is alleged to have run the scheme through the 
African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL), of which she is 
president. However, Mrs Madikizela-Mandela, supported in court by her two 
daughters, denied the charges, saying on the witness stand that the loans 
were only "to assist people who did not have access to banks and financial 
houses". The fraud trial is expected to last two more weeks.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 6 March 2003)

* South Africa. Tax amnesty proves a hit  -  6 March: As much as $8bn could 
be on its way back home to South Africa if early responses to the tax 
amnesty on overseas holdings are anything to go by. The six-month amnesty 
does not even begin till May, yet tax officials received inquiries about 
more than 3bn rand ($373 million) in the first 48 hours. That, Revenue 
Service Commissioner Pravin Gordhan, said, could mean a total take of 
$2bn-$8bn. "I think people in South Africa are realising that for all sorts 
of reasons they might have erred," he said. "They would like to normalise 
their affairs and would look to this opportunity." Mr Gordhan's boss, 
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, announced the amnesty as part of a 
far-reaching 334bn rand budget package on 26 February. Setting growth 
forecasts for 2003 of 3.3%, down from the 3.5% set in October, he unveiled 
a 13.3bn rand tax break for middle to low income earners, thanks to higher 
tax receipts last year, and lowered the tax on pensioners' retirement funds 
from 25% to 18%.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 6 March 2003)

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