Weekly anb0522_5.txt #6

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 22-05-2003      PART #5/6

* Maroc. Ali Lamrabet condamné  -  Le 21 mai, Ali Lamrabet, directeur de 
deux hebdomadaires satiriques, a été condamné à quatre ans de prison ferme 
et aussitôt incarcéré. Ses deux hebdomadaires ont été fermés. Il était 
poursuivi pour "outrage à la personne du roi" et atteinte au "régime 
monarchique" et à "l'intégrité du territoire". En grève de la faim depuis 
le 6 mai, M. Lamrabet est le représentant au Maroc de Reporters sans 
frontières, qui a réclamé sa libération immédiate et dénoncé un procès 
politique. Selon ses avocats, qui vont en appel, cette incarcération est du 
jamais vu au Maroc depuis 30 ans. L'accusation est fondée sur un article 
concernant le budget du palais, des dessins satiriques, un photomontage et 
la publication d'extraits d'une interview d'un militant "républicain". Très 
critiqué, le nouveau code de la presse, adopté en 2002, prévoit des peines 
de prison pour atteinte aux "valeurs sacrées" du pays.   (Libération, 
France, 22 mai 2003)

* Mozambique. Famine looms  -  Mozambique is in danger of facing an acute 
food shortage following a dry spell affecting much of the southern and 
central regions, and flooding in the north. While the north is experiencing 
floods, the United States Famine Warning System (FEWSNET) has warned that 
rainfall in Maputo, the capital, in the period October 2002-January 2003 
was the lowest in fifty years and the current drought Mozambique is 
experiencing is much more severe than that of last year. FEWSNET pinpoints 
the more remote parts of Gaza, Tete and Inhambane Provinces, as areas of 
most immediate concern. The drought warning comes at a time when 
Mozambique's coast has been hit by Cyclone Japhet which has brought 
torrential rain to much of Inhambana, Sofala and Manica Provinces. The rain 
is too late to assist in crop development. At sea, fishing has suffered a 
serious setback as a consequence of the bad weather, with 27 fishing boats 
sinking during the storm.   (Frank Jomo, ANB-BIA, Malawi, 15 May 2003)

* Mozambique. Coalition de l'opposition  -  Le principal parti de 
l'opposition mozambicaine, l'ancien mouvement rebelle de la Renamo, a 
renoncé au projet d'aborder seul les élections municipales du 28 octobre. 
Selon l'agence mozambicaine de presse (AIM), la Renamo a signé, le 17 mai, 
un accord portant création d'une coalition électorale avec 10 partis 
mineurs afin de présenter un front uni contre le parti au pouvoir, le 
Frelimo. Elle se présentera aux élections municipales sous la bannière de 
l'"Union électorale/Renamo". Selon le leader de la Renamo, Alfonso 
Dhlakama, la coalition est le résultat des "pressions exercées par les 
populations" qui souhaiteraient l'existence d'une opposition crédible 
susceptible d'offrir une réelle alternative au Frelimo.   (PANA, Sénégal, 
20 mai 2003)

* Nigeria. Workshop for Catholic hospital managers  -  The Health 
Department of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Lagos, in 
conjunction with Sussex Research and Development Centre for Work Based 
Learning and Leading (CBL&L), England, on 14-15 May organized a Workshop on 
introduction to General Management for managers of Catholic hospitals in 
the country. The workshop took place at the Divine Love Retreat and 
Conference Centre (DRACC), Emene, Enugu, Nigeria. The Workshop which was 
attended by about 100 participants comprising priests, religious and laity 
hospital services coordinators and managers, was aimed at enhancing the 
managerial capacity of the participants through modern technology and 
skills. Among the issues discussed were problems of fear, and trust, 
planning and delegation of power, management of time, management and 
generation of resources, lack of skilled personnel, inability of managers 
to set objectives and goals and responsibility without authority. Also 
discussed were the stakeholders issue, expectations, challenges and 
qualities of an ideal hospital manager and the utilization of modern skill 
and techniques in the management of hospitals in the modern world.   (Cath. 
Sec. of Nigeria, 17 May 2003)

* Nigeria. Election results challenged  -  21 May: Nigeria's opposition 
leader has asked the Court of Appeal to cancel the results of last month's 
presidential election. Muhammadu Buhari alleges that President Olusegun 
Obasanjo's re-election was secured through fraud and violence. Both 
Nigerian and international observers found that the election was marred by 
rigging, particularly in parts of the south and east. Earlier, Nigeria's 
police chief accused opposition groups of planning violence to disrupt next 
week's inauguration of President Obasanjo. Inspector General Tafa Balogun 
said youths were being trained to cause mayhem, and some were planning bomb 
attacks. He did not name which group was behind the alleged plot and made 
no mention of any arrests.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 May 2003)

* Nigeria. Obasanjo dissout le gouvernement  -  Le 21 mai, le président 
Olusegun Obasanjo a dissous son gouvernement. Après avoir prêté serment le 
29 mai pour son second mandat présidentiel, il nommera un nouveau 
gouvernement qui sera plus modeste, a-t-il laissé entendre, avec 36 membres 
au lieu des 49 ministres que comptait le précédent. L'élection de M. 
Obasanjo reste toutefois toujours très contestée par le conseil musulman 
des oulémas de la région nord du pays. Ces derniers jugent que les 
résultats de la présidentielle du mois dernier ont été marqués par des 
fraudes.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22 mai 2003)

* Rwanda. Life-imprisonment for former minister  -  15 May: Rwanda's former 
Information Minister, Eliezer Niyiteka, has been sentenced to serve the 
rest of his life in prison. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 
in Arusha (Tanzania) handed down the sentence for his part in the massacre 
of Tutsi civilians in the ills of western Rwanda.Niyitegeka was arrested in 
Kenya in February 1999, and his trial began in June last year. Pronouncing 
the sentence, South African judge Navanethem Pillay said: "Mr Niyitegeka 
organised the genocide, incited people to commit it and himself massacred 
Tutsis in the hills of Bisesero".   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 May 2003)

* Rwanda. Perpétuité pour un ex-ministre  -  Le 15 mai, le Tribunal pénal 
international pour le Rwanda d'Arusha a condamné, à l'unanimité, à la 
prison à vie pour génocide Eliézer Niyitegeka, ministre de l'Information 
pendant le génocide de 1994. M. Niyitegeka, 50 ans, répondait de huit chefs 
d'accusation, notamment de génocide et de crimes contre l'humanité, portant 
sur des massacres de Tutsi dans les collines de Bisesero (ouest) entre 
avril et juin 1994. L'accusé n'a cependant pas été reconnu coupable de 
viol, comme le réclamait le bureau du procureur. - Le même jour, le TPIR a 
condamné à 25 ans de prison l'ancien maire de la commune de Bicumbi, 
Laurent Semanza, reconnu coupable de cinq chefs d'accusation (dont 
complicité de génocide et crimes contre l'humanité) sur les quatorze 
retenus contre lui.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 16 mai 2003)

* Rwanda/Kenya. Commission mixte  -  La réunion de la commission mixte 
Rwanda-Kenya, la première du genre depuis 14 ans, a démarré ses travaux le 
16 mai à Kigali avec à son ordre du jour d'importantes questions de 
coopération bilatérale. La suppression du visa d'entrée figurera en bonne 
place dans les discussions. Les travaux permettront aussi d'examiner les 
voies et moyens de renforcer la coopération en matière d'éducation, de 
santé et de sécurité. Les deux pays doivent également conclure des accords 
d'extradition, d'assistance juridique dans les affaires criminelles et 
d'application réciproque des décisions de justice, mais aussi un protocole 
commercial.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 17 mai 2003)

* Rwanda. Vers la dissolution du MDR  -  Le gouvernement du Rwanda, réuni 
ce week-end à Kigali, a ordonné aux "services concernés" de mettre à 
exécution la recommandation de dissoudre le Mouvement démocratique 
républicain (MDR), votée le 14 avril par le Parlement. Le gouvernement 
reproche à cette formation politique son "idéologie ethniciste 
persistante", et a demandé aussi aux instances judiciaires de poursuivre 
individuellement les personnes coupables de diffuser cette idéologie. Les 
personnalités mises en cause ont rejeté en bloc les accusations portées 
contre leur parti, se défendant de prôner une telle idéologie. Le MDR était 
le second grand parti au Rwanda après le Front patriotique rwandais (FPR). 
Le 8 mai, Human Rights Watch avait accusé le FPR de vouloir éliminer toute 
force s'opposant à sa victoire aux élections prévues avant la fin de cette 
année.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 mai 2003)

* Sénégal. Les victimes du "Joola"  -  L'association des familles des 
victimes du naufrage du navire Joola, qui a fait plus de 1.800 morts le 26 
septembre 2002, a refusé l'offre d'indemnisation de 4 millions de FCFA 
(6.097 euros) faite par le gouvernement sénégalais. Elle réclame 50 
millions de FCFA (76.224 euros) par personne. - D'autre part, les familles 
des victimes réclament toujours le renflouement du bateau, de même que la 
récupération des centaines de corps jamais retrouvés. Mais un plongeur 
entré récemment dans le navire a estimé que l'épave, disloquée, fissurée et 
ensablée, ne pourrait être que partiellement renflouée et juge préférable 
de considérer désormais le bateau comme un sanctuaire.   (ANB-BIA, de 
sources diverses, 19 mai 2003)

* Somalia. War on terror hits orphans  -  20 May: Thousands of Somali 
orphans cared for by a Saudi aid agency could have their lives affected by 
the United States' war on terror. The Saudi Arabia Government has ordered 
its international staff working for al-Haramain aid agencies to leave 
Somalia after a recent allegation from the United States Government that it 
has links with terrorist organisations. The offices of al-Haramain have 
already been closed in Bosnia, Croatia, Indonesia and Malaysia. In the last 
few days the Ethiopian, Kenyan and Tanzanian offices have also been told to 
close, according to al-Haramain officials. He said: "Our camps hardly have 
enough food stocks for the next 10 days... and we don't know what will 
happen after that". Despite his worried expression, Mr Qumaysi said that 
the orphanage has been contacted by Somalis living abroad who are related 
to the orphans and told them to keep the children for a while, while they 
look for money. Some Somali businessmen have also asked teachers at the 
orphanages not to send the children onto the streets, but to wait as they 
try and raise the funds. Mr Qumaysi said: "It is strange that the US says 
the Muslim aid agencies are terrorists, but they don't bring their own 
agencies to replace them. Isn't this just another way of killing the 
orphans whose parents have died during civil strive in 
Somalia?"   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 May 2003)

* Somalia/Kenya. Persecuted Bantus begin new life  -  20 May: The first 
group of Somali Bantus are set to leave for the United States after years 
in refugee camps in northern Kenya. Some 74 are due to leave on Tuesday and 
Wednesday, with an additional 150 set to travel next month. They are the 
first of 12,000 refugees identified for resettlement by the US Government 
because of persecution back home in Somalia - mainly because of their 
darker skin colour and hair. Many are illiterate, and for the last 10 days 
have been attending special orientation courses at a transit centre in the 
Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to prepare them for their new life. "We have been 
training them how to use toilets, how to use a shower, how to switch on 
lights, and how to read time," says cultural orientation trainer Lily Sonya 
of the International Migration Organisation. On arrival in the United 
States each of the Somali Bantu families will be assigned to a charitable 
organisation which will help them to build a new life.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 
20 May 2003)

* Somalia. Peace strike closes Mogadishu  -  21 May: Civil society 
activists in Somalia have gone on strike to push for an end to the 12-year 
civil war. The capital, Mogadishu, was paralysed by the strike which began 
early today. School children stayed at home, hospitals closed their doors, 
except for emergencies, and the universities stopped lectures. The strike 
followed a big meeting on 20 May in Mogadishu where more than 14 civil 
society groups, including the universities, the doctor's union, the two 
education umbrella groups and others issued an eight-point appeal for 
peace, starting with the strike. The other points include a call for the 
people to make the warlords accountable for the killings, abductions and 
rapes committed in the areas they claim to run, and the demolition of all 
roadblocks in Mogadishu.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 May 2003)

Weekly News anb0522.txt - #5/6