Weekly anb03205.txt #6



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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 20-03-2003      PART #5/6

* Malawi. President appears in court - 13 March: The President of Malawi, Bakili Muluzi, has become the first leader in his country's history to testify before a court of law. He appeared before the Lilongwe Magistrate Courts as state witness in a case involving the main opposition Malawi Congress Party president and his personal secretary. Gwanda Chakuamba and Grace Mhango have been charged with forging the president's signature. They have both pleaded not guilty. The document in which the allegedly forged signature appears, apparently outlines ways in which Mr Muluzi was planning to bribe opposition MPs to vote for a constitutional amendment in order to allow a sitting presidential a third term in office. The controversial third term bill has been shelved in the face of widespread protests against Mr Muluzi's bid to seek re-election when his term ends next year. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 March 2003)

* Malawi. Elections en mai 2004 - Le Malawi organisera ses troisièmes élections générales multipartites le 18 mai 2004, a annoncé le 15 mars à Blantyre la Commission électorale. Les élections présidentielle, législatives et locales se tiendront le même jour. Les résultats seront annoncés deux jours plus tard. La commission a cependant indiqué qu'elle manquait de fonds pour préparer ces différents scrutins. On en estime le coût à 2 milliards de kwachas (environ 30 milllions de dollars), dont la moitié devrait provenir de donateurs, l'autre moitié du gouvernement. (PANA, Sénégal, 15 mars 2003)

* Malawi. Vendors clash with police - 19 March: Malawi's commercial capital, Blantyre was the scene of running battles between the police and streets vendors protesting the destruction of their stalls, today. For four hours, the main road linking Blantyre city centre and the city's international airport was inaccessible after angry street vendors used boulders, huge rocks, tree stumps and general debris to block it. Traffic leaving the city for the airport or for the central region, including the capital, Lilongwe, was forced to use the longer route through townships. Trouble begun last night when Blantyre City Mayor John Chikakwiya led a team of city workers under para-military police guard to demolish temporary stalls erected by the vendors along the roadside. Rioting started as early as 0800 local time (0600 GMT) when the angry vendors mobilised themselves to hit back at the city fathers after seeing their livelihood go up in flames. Armed police officers fired in the air to restore order. In the fracas, at least one vendor was arrested. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 March 2003)

* Maroc. La mouvance islamiste - Le 12 mars, Abdelwaheb Rafifi, dit "Abou Hafs", un prédicateur marocain connu pour la virulence de ses prêches et ses positions anti-occidentales, a été inculpé et écroué pour "appartenance à une bande criminelle". Déjà condamné en juillet 2002 à trois mois de prison avant d'être gracié, Abou Hafs est soupçonné d'être l'un des principaux dirigeants de la "Salafia Jihadia" (le salafisme combattant), un groupuscule islamiste radical clandestin, soupçonné d'avoir des liens avec Al-Qaïda. Le groupe est soupçonné d'être impliqué dans une demi-douzaine de crimes de sang d'inspiration religieuse. Dans des prêches enflammés prononcés dans une mosquée de Fès, Abou Hafs avait notamment déclaré qu'Oussama Ben Laden était "un héros du monde musulman" et que le meurtre d'un infidèle "ne constituait pas un crime au regard de la charia". (AP, 13 mars 2003)

* Maroc/USA. Report de négociations? - La seconde session des négociations sur la création d'une zone de libre-échange entre le Maroc et les Etats-Unis, qui devait commencer le 24 mars à Rabat, a été ajournée pour "des raisons sécuritaires", rapporte le quotidien marocain L'Economiste le 17 mars. Cette information a été partiellement démentie de sources diplomatiques américaines, qui admettaient toutefois que "des discussions étaient en cours sur le calendrier". L'Economiste évoque un "report" pour "des questions sécuritaires et à l'éventualité d'une guerre en Irak". Allié traditionnel diplomatique et militaire des Etats-Unis, le Maroc a engagé fin janvier à Washington des négociations officielles pour la conclusion d'un accord de libre-échange d'ici à la fin de l'année. Bénéficiant de l'aval du congrès américain, un tel accord serait le premier du genre conclu entre les Etats-Unis et un pays africain. (AP, 17 mars 2003)

* Mozambique. Coopération allemande - Le 14 mars, le Mozambique et l'Allemagne ont signé un accord pour le déblocage de 27 millions d'euros en faveur de la réalisation de 10 projets de développement. Ces projets couvrent la construction et la remise en état d'écoles, la réparation et la maintenance de routes dans la province de Sofala, le financement de deux institutions de micro-crédit et l'électrification rurale dans le district de Marromeu. Le programme se concentrera sur trois provinces (Sofala, Manica et Inhambane) et sur trois domaines, à savoir le développement rural, l'éducation de base et l'enseignement professionnel, ainsi que le développement d'une économie de marché. (PANA, Sénégal, 18 mars 2003)

* Namibie. Plan d'acquisition de terres - Le gouvernement namibien a presque triplé les allocations pour un programme destiné à distribuer des terres à 200.000 Namibiens sans terre. Les années précédentes, les allocations pour l'acquisition de terres s'élevaient à 20 millions de dollars namibiens (2 millions de dollars US), mais pour l'exercice budgétaire 2003/2004, le gouvernement les a augmenté à 50 millions. Plus de 70% des 1,8 million de Namibiens dépendent de l'agriculture pour vivre, la majorité d'entre eux pratiquant une agriculture de subsistance sur les terres communautaires. Bien que les Blancs ne forment que 6% de la population, ils possèdent la plupart des 4.500 exploitations agricoles du pays, alors que les populations noires ont été dépossédées de leurs terres ancestrales sous le régime colonial. Même si le gouvernement a adopté une légistaion destinée à redresser ces injustices, les progrès sont lents en raison de la réticence des Blancs à vendre leurs terres. (PANA, Sénégal, 14 mars 2003)

* Niger. Water helps Niger's onion mafia - 19 March: Two years ago, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) launched a project to help Niger's farmers in near the town of Keita, focusing on the use of onions as a "cash crop." The FAO helped show the farmers better irrigation and soil techniques. And the high-quality vegetables that emerged have become a prized commodity 800 kilometres away. "The end result was very surprising," Reto Florin, chief of the FAO Water Service, said. In Côte d'Ivoire, they have created a sort of Mafia for Keita-produced onions. Nowadays, other farmers cannot go and sell onions on the market if they are not from Keita.". Mr Florin says there are three reasons why Nigerien onions do so well in Côte d'Ivoire: good transportation; effective marketing and "good quality product." "Onions just seem to be very popular in that area," he said. And the demand for Keita's onions has continued despite the six-month conflict in Côte d'Ivoire. The FAO project in Niger was one of a number that have been highlighted at the World Water Forum in Kyoto as helping farmers in the developing world use water much more effectively. Agriculture is very much under the spotlight at the forum, as it is by far the biggest use of the world's fresh water reserves. (BBC News, UK, 19 March 2003)

* Nigeria. Red Cross calls for aid - 13 March: Some 57,000 people displaced by violence in Nigeria need food, shelter and medical supplies, the Red Cross has said. The head of the Nigerian Red Cross has asked for urgent aid from international donors to cope with the fall-out from a series of recent outbreaks of ethnic, religious and political clashes. Tensions are rising in some parts of Nigeria ahead of next month's presidential, parliamentary and local elections. Several thousand people have been killed in ethnic and religious clashes since the end of military rule in 1999. "Our warehouses are now absolutely empty," Red Cross President Emmanuel Ijewere said. He also accused the government of not doing enough to help those displaced in fighting. Some 6,000 people fled their homes after clashes in the oil-producing southern city of Warri. Another 11,000 are displaced after ethnic fighting in the eastern state of Adamawa, which left more than 100 people dead, Mr Ijewere said. And 40,000 are living in schools and public buildings in the northern state of Gombe following clashes between ethnic Fulani cattle herders and farmers. Mr Ijewere also confirmed that several people had been killed in fighting in central Plateau state. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 March 2003)

* Nigeria. Respect for human rights essential during and after elections - In a Press Release issued on 13 March, Amnesty International is urging all candidates in Nigeria's upcoming presidential, federal and state elections to commit themselves publicly to place the prevention of human rights abuses during elections at the heart of their electoral campaigns. Amnesty International's plea comes in the aftermath of what seems yet another politically motivated killing during the electoral period in Nigeria, that of Harry Mashall, a leading member of the All Nigeria People's Party. In two open letters to candidates for the federal executive and legislature and to candidates for state governorship and houses of assembly, Irene Khan, the Secretary General of Amnesty International stressed that protection and promotion of human rights should be central to their program for the post election period. She pointed out that it is during electoral periods in the past that Nigeria has most suffered violence resulting, on many occasions, in the military seizing power. "Respect for human rights during the electoral process is essential, even more so when political stability might depend on it", Amnesty International said. (Amnesty International, 13 March 2003)

* Nigeria. Anti-corruption law dumped - 13 March: The lower house of the Nigerian parliament has voted to repeal the law which set up the country's much-criticised anti-corruption commission. President Olusegun Obasanjo set up the commission three years ago, promising to make the fight against corruption a priority during his term of office. The upper house of parliament, the Senate, has already voted to scrap the legislation. Mr Obasanjo has said the move by MPs and Senators encourages corruption. However, it seems the row over this law is, more than anything else, a political battle in the run up to next month's elections. The work of the anti-corruption commission has still to lead to the conviction of a single senior public official. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 March 2003)

* Nigeria. Violences dans le Delta - 18 mars. Les violences qui se poursuivent ont obligé la compagnie anglo-hollandaise Shell, conformément aux mesures de sécurité, à fermer deux stations de pompage dans l'Etat du Delta du Niger, réduisant ainsi sa production de 30.000 barils par jour. Les travailleurs ont été évacués. Les affrontements entre des militaires et des jeunes ont commencé le 13 mars, quand ces derniers ont barricadé les voies navigables et empêché la circulation des péniches et autres embarcations. Un nombre non précisé de militaires et de jeunes auraient été tués dans ces combats, alors que certains policiers désarmés et enlevés par les manifestants n'ont pas encore été retrouvés. Les jeunes des communautés des régions productrices de pétrole, qui accusent les compagnies pétrolières de polluer leur environnement et de ne rien investir en retour, ont l'habitude de perturber l'exploitation pétrolière en signe de protestation. - 19 mars. Le gouvernement a envoyé des troupes au sud de la ville de Warri dans la région du Delta, suite aux violences qui ont fait une dizaine de morts, dont deux soldats et un officier. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 mars 2003)

* Nigeria. Troops sent to oil town - 19 March: Troops have been sent to the troubled oil town of Warri following the death of ten people in clashes between youths and security forces. Shell has temporarily shut production facilities in the Niger delta following the insecurity. This follows violent clashes between Nigerian navy troops and ethnic Ijaw militants at the village of Okerenkoko on the Escravos River. The village is close to the oil port of Warri, where Shell and other multinational oil firms are based. 20 March: A second major oil producer has shut down some of its facilities in the southern Delta region of Nigeria following several days of clashes which have left 10 people dead. The Nigerian subsidiary of Chevron Texaco said it was withdrawing staff from the area to ensure their safety. Shell, the largest oil producer in Nigeria, has evacuated non-essential staff from the area and closed some of its facilities. The two companies are losing more than 150,000 barrels of oil a day, about 8% of Nigeria's total production. The government has ordered up to 1,000 troops to region to end weeks of battles between ethnic Ijaw youths and navy personnel in the rivers and creeks south of the town of Warri. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 March 2003)

* Rwanda. TPIR: accord pour les condamnés - Le 14 mars, le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR) a signé avec la France un accord autorisant l'accueil dans les prisons françaises de condamnés rwandais. La France est le premier pays occidental à signer un tel accord. Six condamnés purgent déjà leur peine au Mali. (Libération, France, 15 mars 2003)

* Sierra Leone. Tribunal spécial de l'Onu - L'ancien chef rebelle sierra-léonais Foday Sankoh doit subir des tests médicaux pour déterminer s'il est en mesure d'être jugé par le tribunal spécial de l'Onu pour la Sierra Leone, devant lequel il a comparu pour la première fois le 15 mars. Agé de 70 ans, il est inculpé d'avoir perpétré des atrocités durant la guerre civile de 1991 à 2001. Sankoh a fondé et dirigé le Front révolutionnaire uni (RUF) qui a déclenché la guerre au cours de laquelle des milliers de civils ont été mutilés et furent victimes d'actes de violence. - Le 18 mars, deux commandants du RUF, Alex Tamba et le Morris Kallon, ont plaidé "non coupables" face à 17 chefs d'inculpation retenus contre eux par le tribunal spécial. Et le 19 mars, Samuel Hingha Norman, le ministre de l'Intérieur et coordonnateur de la milice de défense civile, les "Kamajors", a également plaidé non coupable de huit charges retenues contre lui par le procureur. Les Kamajors étaient une milice armée recrutant ses membres parmi les chasseurs traditionnels de différents groupes ethniques. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 mars 2003)

* Sierra Leone. Former minister on trial - 19 March: Sierra Leone's former interior minister has pleaded innocent to war crimes charges in a special UN court, the tribunal's chief prosecutor says. Samuel Hinga Norman -- the former leader of a pro-government militia -- denied responsibility for unlawful killings, terrorising the civilian population and using child soldiers, prosecutor David Crane said. The trial is being held at a secret location in west Africa for security reasons. The tribunal is also hearing charges against rebel leaders, including Foday Sankoh, the head of the Revolutionary United Front. Mr Hinga Norman was arrested last week after the UN court issued its first seven indictments relating to atrocities during Sierra Leone's 10-year civil war. Mr Crane said the trial was being held in secret because of fears that Mr Hinga Norman's supporters in the Kamajor militia""might seek to put pressure on the court and disrupt the trial". Mr Hinga Norman, who is also a former deputy defence minister, allegedly organised attacks by the Kamajors during the country's 1991-2000 civil war. The militia's alleged human rights abuses included torturing and summarily executing opponents and recruiting child fighters. But correspondents say he is still seen by many in Sierra Leone as a hero who stood up to the rebels. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 March 2003)

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