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Weekly ANB0911_05.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-09-2003      PART #5/7
* Mali. Floods damage Timbuktu - Heavy rains have destroyed at least 180 ancient mud buildings in the Unesco-designated world heritage city of Timbuktu. The floods have also caused the deaths of at least four people in central Mali. Timbuktu has a poor drainage system meaning that some 30mm of water that fell on the city some two weeks ago had nowhere to go, and soaked into the brittle, hard earth-built walls and foundations. With more rain now predicted, Mali's authorities said on Monday, that things could get worse if the Niger River spills its banks. They appealed to residents along Africa's second-longest river to build sandbag barriers on the shores. People have also been warned to move away from the danger areas. Timbuktu used to be one of the world's wealthiest cities and was an important Islamic centre. Some mud buildings, such as Jingereber mosque, date back more than 600 years. But the isolated city is now one of the poorest in Mali which itself is one of the poorest countries in Africa. Timbuktu's town hall has been helping to find accommodation for those driven out of their homes, and has paid medical bills for the needy. (BBC News, UK, 10 September 2003)
* Morocco. Teen-age girls under arrest for planning a suicide attack - 5 September: Police in Morocco have said that they have detained three teenage girls, including twin sisters, suspected of planning a suicide attack on a supermarket in the capital, Rabat. They say they have uncovered a cell of a radical Islamic group which was planning to attack targets in the capital, Rabat. According to the police, they have arrested eight more suspected members of the Salafia Jihadia cell and are carrying out a manhunt for 17 more. So far Rabat has escaped attacks by the radical Islamic organisation which blew up Western and Jewish targets in the commercial city of Casablanca in May killing 45 people. But with this discovery, the capital is once again on high alert. According to police the group planned to carry out suicide attacks on a parliament building, a supermarket in a prosperous neighbourhood of Rabat and against several high profile personalities. The Ministry of Justice is conducting an investigation into the cell. The ministry says that police were first alerted to the existence of a Rabat-based terrorist group through the statements of the two teenage girls. The girls, twin sisters aged 13 and a third aged 14, are the youngest suspects to be arrested in Morocco under a new anti-terrorism law. Police say that one of the sisters said she had planned to blow herself up in the alcohol section of the supermarket before she was arrested. According to the police the girls had contacted a local Imam, an Islamic preacher, asking if their action were in accordance with Islam. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 September 2003)
* Maroc. 906 islamistes arrêtés - 906 islamistes ont été arrêtés à la suite des attentats du 16 mai à Casablanca, a déclaré, le 9 septembre, le ministre marocain de la Justice, Mohamed Bouzoubâa, ajoutant que le "péril est toujours là". Il a ajouté que 108 suspects sont devant des juges d'instruction et que d'autres enquêtes sont en cours. (Le Figaro, France, 10 septembre 2003)
* Morocco. Casablanca bomb trials leave questions unanswered - A 31-year-old Frenchman currently on trial in a Moroccan court on charges of masterminding an extremist Islamist cell in the northern port of Tangiers, has claimed that he has been tortured and raped in prison and that he worked for the French secret service. Pierre Robert, 31, a Muslim convert who was arrested in June, told the court in Rabat on 8 September that he had infiltrated Islamist groups on behalf of French intelligence. France's internal security agency promptly denied any connection with Mr Robert. The Moroccan prosecution alleges that -- while he was not directly responsible for a series of suicide bombings in Casablanca on May 16, in which 33 bystanders and 12 bombers were killed -- Mr Robert was trying to organise two training areas for Islamist militants in Morocco. Thirty-three other men are accused of membership of his group. The Moroccan authorities have detained thousands of people associated with hard-line Wahabi Muslim groups following the attacks on five mainly Jewish targets in Casablanca, Morocco's commercial centre. Mr Robert is unlikely to escape lightly if convicted. (Financial Times, UK, 10 September 2003)
* Mauritanie. Procès des putschistes - Le 7 septembre, 129 militaires détenus dans le cadre de l'enquête initiée au lendemain de la tentative de putsch avortée du 8 juin dernier, ont été déférés devant la justice. "Les détenus jouiront de leur droit à la défense", a affirmé le substitut du procureur. La plupart des personnes impliquées dans la tentative de putsch sont en fuite et le gouvernement mauritanien a lancé un mandat de recherche international contre elles. Les deux principaux instigateurs, les ex-commandants Saleh Ould Hanena et Mohamed Ould Cheikna, ont annoncé dans une vidéo-cassette diffusée le 2 septembre par la chaîne qatarie Al-Jazira, la création d'un mouvement armé dénommé "Les cavaliers du changement". (PANA, Sénégal, 7 septembre 2003)
* Mozambique/South Africa. Elephants relocated to Mozambique - Elephants living in the Kruger Park in South Africa are being moved to Mozambique in the latest stage in the creation of a huge cross-border game park between the two countries and Zimbabwe. The elephants are being relocated to the Mozambican side of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, as part of a plan to spread the animals across the three countries, now fences separating them are being removed. The translocation of four families of elephants, more than 40 in all, takes place today. Some 10,000 elephants live in the Kruger Park on the South African side, too many for the habitat to sustain. So the translocation serves the purpose of stocking the Mozambican park and providing more space for the animals. The countries' three heads of state signed an international treaty last year and since then some border fences have been removed to allow the animals to migrate and move around in their natural habitat without man-made restrictions. It will take many years for the park to be completed and eventually it is hoped an area of 100,000 square kilometres will be protected within the conservation area. (BBC News, UK, 4 September 2003)
* Mozambique. Mutola hits jackpot - 5 September: Mozambique's Maria Mutola became the first athlete to win the $1m Golden League jackpot by winning the 800m in Brussels today. The 30-year-old won in a time of 1 minute 57.78 seconds to claim her sixth consecutive League victory of the season. Natalya Khrushelyova, bronze medallist at the World Championships, was second in a time of 1:58.53, with Morocco's Amina Ait Hammou third in 1:58.66. To collect her winnings, Mutola must compete in the World Athletics Final in Monaco from 13 to 14 September. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 September 2003)
* Nigeria. Floods displace 100,000 - 8 September: At least 100,000 people have been displaced by flooding in northern Nigerian after the River Kaduna burst its banks. Thousands of homes were washed away in Kaduna state and about 30,000 graves are submerged in water. The government has set up a temporary camp to accommodate the displaced people, but the majority have opted to stay along the burst river bank in the hope of salvaging their belongings. Young men were busy throughout the day diving into the flooded river to salvage whatever they could. The worst flooding happened on 7 September, with some residents waking up in the middle of the night to find their houses submerged in water. The area has experienced a continuous heavy downpour for some time now. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 September 2003)
* Nigeria. Avocats assassinés - Un couple d'avocats nigérians a été assassiné, sous les yeux de ses trois enfants, dont un bébé de 10 mois, par des hommes vêtus d'uniformes de l'armée, a rapporté la presse nigériane le 7 septembre. En juin, les avocats nigérians ont appelé le président Olusegun Obasanjo à prendre des mesures pour protéger leur profession après une recrudescence d'assassinats. (Libération, France, 8 septembre 2003)
* Nigeria. Terrible accident: 100 morts - Accident de la route au bilan effroyable dans le centre du Nigeria: trois autocars et un camion sont entrés en collision, provoquant une violente explosion et la mort de plus de 100 personnes, ont annoncé les autorités le lundi 8 septembre. La télévision a diffusé des images des corps carbonisés. L'accident est survenu dans la nuit du dimanche au lundi dans l'Etat de Kogi, à une centaine de kilomètres de la capitale Abuja. Les circonstances de l'accident n'ont pas encore été établies. Les cars effectuaient tous des trajets longue distance et l'un d'entre eux transportait 70 passagers. Le Nigeria a un réseau routier chaotique et les accidents de la circulation sont fréquents et souvent très meurtriers. (AP, 9 septembre 2003)
* Nigeria. Wooing South African farmers - 10 September: A team of white South African farmers has arrived in Nigeria at the invitation of the government of the western state of Kwara to look into investing and possibly relocating to the region. The advance team also represents some white Zimbabweans who have recently lost their farms in the country's controversial land redistribution programme. The Kwara state government, who initiated and paid for the visit, has pledged to give them all the land they need for free. If all goes according to plan, some of the white farmers will move to Nigeria on a permanent basis. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 September 2003)
* Nigeria/Belgium. Belgian police on trial over asylum seeker's death - Five Belgian police officers accused over the death of a Nigerian asylum seeker have gone on trial. Twenty-year-old Semira Adamu died during attempts to expel her from Belgium in 1998. Her face had been pushed into a pillow as she resisted an operation to strap her to a seat on a plane returning her to Africa. She died later in hospital of a brain haemorrhage. Her death sparked a wave of public protests and forced Interior Minister Louis Tobback to quit. Three of the five policeman are accused of involuntary manslaughter and assault. Two others, who were supervising the operation, face charges of negligence leading to involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutor Hedwig Steppe asked for suspended prison sentences for three of the defendants, and reprimands for the other two. Defence lawyer Rene Kumpen said the five officers had done nothing wrong, and said a video of the operation showed that they were following normal procedures. The court was shown the police video of scenes from the operation. Adamu had unsuccessfully claimed asylum in Belgium, saying her family in Nigeria wanted her to marry a 65-year-old man with other wives. She had previously resisted five attempts to deport her. Her death continues to arouse strong public emotions. A protest banner reading "No to expulsions" was unfurled on the entrance of the Brussels law courts as the trial got under way. Police officers also staged a show of support for their colleagues. The police union argues the five defendants were following the regulations which were in force at the time. (BBC News, UK, 10 September 2003)
* Rwanda. 900 réfugiés rapatriés - Le 2 septembre, quelque 900 ex-réfugiés rwandais, pour la plupart des gens qui avaient quitté le Rwanda après le génocide de 1994, ont été rapatriés au Rwanda par le gouvernement tanzanien. La majeure partie d'entre eux, dont la moitié sont des enfants, viendraient du camp de Ngara, qui aurait dû être fermé à la fin de 2002. Il s'agit du dernier groupe qui avait demandé le renouvellement de son statut de réfugié, mais leur demande a été rejetée par le gouvernement tanzanien. Certains réfugiés ont affirmé qu'ils avaient été rapatriés de force. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 septembre 2003)
* Rwanda. Campagne pour les législatives - La campagne électorale s'ouvre le 6 septembre pour les quelque 230 candidats qui se disputeront les sièges de la nouvelle Assemblée nationale, dont le scrutin se tiendra du 29 septembre au 2 octobre prochain. Le principal parti au pouvoir, le Front patriotique rwandais (FPR) présente une liste de 53 candidats avec 4 autres partis de la coalition gouvernementale, mais se taille la part belle avec 43 candidats. Les trois autres partis agréés présentent chacun leur liste. 19 personnes se présentent comme indépendants. La nouvelle Assemblée comportera 80 sièges. Deux de ces sièges sont réservés aux jeunes et un aux personnes handicapées. 24 sièges sont réservés aux députés femmes, qui seront élues au scrutin indirect par leurs associations nationales en raison de deux par chacune des douze provinces du pays. - La rentrée scolaire, qui se fait ordinairement à la mi-septembre, a été retardée au 6 octobre, la plupart des écoles primaires et secondaires devant servir de bureaux de vote. (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 5-8 septembre 2003)
* Rwanda/Canada. Rwandan suspect wins case - 9 September: A Canadian federal court of appeal has ruled the government does not have enough evidence to deport a Rwandan man accused of inciting genocide. For nine years, Canada has been trying to deport Leon Mugasera, largely basing its allegations on a speech he gave in Rwanda in 1992. Rwanda has also requested Mr Mugasera's extradition to face war crimes charges. But the Canadian court ruled that while the speech may have been inflammatory, it did not actually incite the ensuing violence. Canadian immigration officials and a United Nations report had both accused the former senior politician of encouraging attacks in Rwanda on Tutsis in his speech. It was broadcast on radio in Rwanda and widely distributed on cassettes. Two years later in Rwanda, Hutus killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsis. In its ruling, the federal court in Quebec City strongly criticised the Canadian immigration tribunals that tried to deport Mr Mugasera. The court ruled that the government depended on a faulty translation of the speech and says the words were altered for partisan reasons by the international commission of enquiry. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 September 2003)
* Rwanda. Preparations for President Kagame's inauguration - Intense preparations are underway for the swearing ceremony of President Kagame. A number of Heads of State are due to attend the ceremony on 12 September. An organising committee for the event has been formed to work with the foreign ministry. Among the guests expected to attend the ceremony are: Congo RDC's President Joseph Kabila; Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni; Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki; Tanzania's President Benjamin Mkapa. Also US former president Bill Clinton is on the guest list. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 September 2003) 

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