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Weekly ANB1009_03.txt #9

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 09-10-2003      PART #3/6
* Côte d'Ivoire. Huge march against rebels - 2 October: Tens of thousands of people have marched in Abidjan, calling for the rebels to disarm. The government supporters were wearing hats and t-shirts in the national colours of orange, white and green. The rebels last week pulled out of a power-sharing government, intended to end a year of civil conflict. Meanwhile, foreign diplomats have arrived in Abidjan in a bid to save the shaky peace process. The organisers of the demonstration said it marked the first anniversary of "national resistance against the armed insurrection". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 October 2003)
* Côte d'Ivoire. Sauver le processus de paix - 2 octobre. Un ballet diplomatique intense se déroule à Abidjan pour tenter de recoller les morceaux entre l'ex-rébellion et le pouvoir. M. Abdou Diouf, secrétaire général de l'Organisation de la Francophonie, a entamé une mission de bons offices de trois jours. M. Michel de Bonnecorse, conseiller du président français, dont c'est le deuxième déplacement en Côte d'Ivoire, devait également rencontrer le président Gbagbo et le Premier ministre M. Diarra. D'autre part, sur fond de blocage persistant du processus de paix, plusieurs dizaines de milliers de personnes se sont rassemblées à Abidjan pour marquer leur soutien au président Gbagbo. Plus de 70.000 de ses partisans ont envahi les rues pour dénoncer les agissements des groupes rebelles. -- 4 octobre. A Bouaké, fief des rebelles, des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont manifesté à leur tour pour réclamer le départ du président Gbagbo. "Laurent Gbagbo n'est plus le président de toute la Côte d'Ivoire", a déclaré devant au moins 80.000 personnes, le leader de l'ex-rébellion, Guillaume Soro, ajoutant que ses troupes étaient prêtes à se battre à nouveau contre les forces gouvernementales. -- 6 octobre. Le président Gbagbo a annoncé la tenue prochaine d'une grande rencontre des différents protagonistes de la crise. Les principaux partis politiques et les Forces nouvelles lui ont remis un mémorandum censé contenir tous les points de blocage du processus de paix. - 7 octobre. Les forces armées nationales ont demandé à l'ex-rébellion de renouer le dialogue avec elles. Faute de quoi, elles "en tireront les conséquences". (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 7 octobre 2003)
* Egypte. Nouveau mufti - Cheick Ali Gomaa a été nommé nouveau mufti d'Egypte. Agé de 51 ans, diplômé de commerce et d'études islamiques et arabes, il était professeur de théologie à l'université d'Al-Azhar. Il succède à Mohamed Ahmed Al Tayeb, en fonction depuis mars 2002. (La Croix, France, 4 octobre 2003)
* Egypt. Militants freed in amnesty - 6 October: Egypt has released more than 2,000 prisoners under an amnesty to mark the anniversary of the 1973 war with Israel. About 1,000 of those set free were Islamists, most of them members of the fundamentalist group al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, who are said to have renounced their militant activities. Three of the group's leaders, including Karam Zohdi, were released last week after serving a life sentence for the 1981 assassination of former President Anwar Sadat. In 1999, the group announced it had given up violence after a seven-year campaign which claimed more than a thousand lives. Al-Gamaa member Ali Ahmed Abdel Neim, 44, was among those released from Tora prison in southern Cairo, today. "We will stick to this ceasefire," he told journalists. "The revision of our violent ideology was undertaken without any government pressure." (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 6 October 2003)
* Egypt. Tourism turnaround - There's been a remarkable turnaround in Egypt's tourism industry. At the beginning of the year, with war in Iraq looming, the authorities here were fearing the worst. During the war itself the number of tourists visiting Egypt fell by about 25% compared to the previous year, threatening the country's entire economy. Egypt has long been one of the world's premier destinations. Its mix of ancient history, year-round sun and Red Sea diving attracts up to five million visitors each year. For the Egyptians, tourism is vital. It is the country's number one foreign currency earner, producing about $4bn a year and accounting for more than 11% of GDP. But relying on a single industry like tourism can be a risky business, particularly in a volatile region like the Middle East. Several times in the past, Egypt has suffered. Numbers fell after the first Gulf War and again in 1997, when Islamic militants opened fire and massacred dozens of tourists in Luxor. Numbers had only just started to recover when they were hit by the global drop in tourism after the 11 September attacks. This time, though, the recovery has been almost instantaneous. A mix of heavy discounts and perhaps more intrepid travellers has seen the number of visitors over summer reach an all-time high -- 750,000 in August, 30% more than last year. Egypt looks set to record the highest number of tourists in its history this year. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 October 2003)
* Egypte/Libye. Chénouda III décoré - Le patriarche des coptes-orthodoxes, le pape Chénouda III, vient de recevoir à Tripoli le "prix Kadhafi des droits de l'homme". Le prix a été décerné au pape Chénouda III "en reconnaissance de ses positions nationales et humanitaires, et de sa participation à l'établissement d'un dialogue constructif entre les religions". Le prix, doté de 250.000 dinars libyens (192.000 dollars), a été remis au dignitaire religieux devant un parterre d'invités. Le pape Chénouda III a ensuite célébré une messe, retransmise pour la première fois par la radio libyenne. (Al-Ahram Hebdo, Egypte, 1-7 octobre 2003)
* Erythrée. Démineurs kényans - 62 démineurs humanitaires kényans sont attendus le 2 octobre à Asmara, afin de renforcer les opérations dans les champs de mines. Ils se joindront au premier groupe de démineurs à haut risque kényans déjà engagés dans le déminage de la région de Shilalo, une région où beaucoup de mines ont été répandues. Cette semaine, une société de génie civil du Bangladesh, également impliquée dans cette campagne de déminage, a encore trouvé et désamorcé cinq bombes qui n'avaient pas explosé. (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 2 octobre 2003)
* Eritrea/Ethiopia. No new Horn border commission - 3 October: The United Nations Security Council has rejected an Ethiopian request for a new body to decide on its contested border with Eritrea. The UN "regretted" Ethiopia's position and urged it to implement last year's border ruling. Following a two-year border war which left 70,000 people dead, a commission ruled that the town of Badme where the war began, belonged to Eritrea. Ethiopia has refused to accept the ruling and last week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi asked the UN to set up a new border commission. He warned that the commission's "unacceptable" decision could lead to "another round of war" and therefore the UN had an obligation to get involved. However, he said that he was committed to resolving peacefully the worsening border dispute with Eritrea. On 2 October, Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Said Abdella told the UN General Assembly in New York that "Ethiopia has wilfully crossed the red line and set in motion an irreversible process to scuttle the peace agreement altogether." In a one-page response to the Ethiopian request the Security Council reminded Ethiopia that it had committed itself under the 2000 Algiers Agreements "to accept the boundary decision as final and binding". The UN also urged both sides to resume talks over their dispute. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 3 October 2003)
* Ethiopia. Vital medicines arrive to combat malaria - Vital anti-malaria medicines to combat a looming epidemic in Ethiopia have been released from customs. The medicines, worth US $700,000 arrived in the country on 18 August and were released on 2 October. They will be distributed to hard hit areas early next week. A spokesman from the Ethiopian Customs Authority told IRIN: "The drugs were subject to urgent clearance. We got them out as soon as possible." Malaria is the third biggest killer in the country and claims around 250 lives a day. Some 40 million people in the country are at risk of infection. Christiane Rudert, head of health and nutrition at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Ethiopia, said the drugs were vital in combating the potential emergency. (IRIN, Kenya, 3 October 2003)
* Gabon. Gisement de manganèse - La Compagnie minière des trois rivières (CMTR), filiale d'une compagnie brésilienne, a découvert un nouveau gisement de manganèse d'une haute teneur et dont les réserves sont estimées à 100 millions de tonnes, a-t-on appris de source officielle à Libreville. Le gisement est situé dans la province du Haut Ogooué, dans la localité d'Okondja, à quelques kilomètres d'un autre gisement exploité depuis 1962. Une étude de faisabilité est en cours pour la construction d'un tronçon ferroviaire de près de 200 km qui relierait Okondja au chemin de fer gabonais et au port d'Owendo, à Libreville, où la CMTR envisage aussi de construire un port minéralier. Le Gabon est le deuxième producteur mondial de manganèse, après l'Afrique du Sud. (PANA, Sénégal, 5 octobre 2003)
* Guinea-Bissau. Transition regime sworn in - 3 October: Today, Guinea Bissau swore in a new transition government to lead the tiny West African state until presidential elections in 18 months following a military coup in September. The new interim president, businessman Henrique Rosa, issued a decree appointing the government whose members were chosen by a 56-member National Transition Council. The panel is serving in place of parliament until the new assembly is elected. The broad-based executive, led by Prime Minister Artur Sanha, 38, is made up of 11 ministers and five secretaries of state. Sanha was named by the coup leaders against the wishes of a majority of political parties. The military also appointed Rosa as interim president. Only two members of the previous government -- the defense and social infrastructure ministers -- maintained their posts. Both are from the Social Renewal Party of former president Kumba Yalla, ousted in a bloodless putsch on September 14. (CNN, USA, 3 October 2003)
* Kenya. Three charged over murder - 2 October:Three people have been charged with the controversial murder of a senior official of the Kenya constitution review commission. The suspects -- two minibus touts and a houseboy -- were charged after a newspaper editor were taken to court in connection with the alleged theft of a videotaped statement to the police investigating the high-profile murder of Crispin Mbai. The killing has generated heated debate, with politicians from both the ruling National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) and the opposition alleging that it was a political assassination meant to derail the constitution review process. The two-day detention of the editor of the Sunday Standard, David Makali, following his publication of an alleged confession from one of the suspects, provoked strong domestic and international criticism. Collins Ketore Kilel, Ramadhan Karume Otieno and Moses Gitogo Mbuthi were charged with the murder of Mr Mbai, who headed a committee on the devolution of powers in the commission. The three were not allowed to plead and were remanded in custody for two weeks because they did not have legal representation. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 October 2003)
* Kenya. "Africa can attain food sufficiency" - On 23 September, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, the World Council of Churches (WCC)'s secretary-general elect, held a press conference in Kenya, in which he said: "My vision is that Africa could attain food sufficiency within a decade. All it takes is political will and strategic planning". Dr Kobia was referring to the fact that some countries, which could be self-sufficient in food production, depend heavily on the outside world for their people's food needs. He said: "A nation which cannot feed itself cannot command respect among the family of nations. But Africans have the capacity to utilize their own resources. Africa should claim the 21st century as the new era of self-sufficiency in food production, primary health care, public safety, security, and living a life of dignity in just, peaceful and sustainable communities". (Francis Njuguna, ANB-BIA, Kenya, 2 October 2003)
* Kenya. Calls to sack judges - 2 October: Kenyan lawyers have called on the government to take firm action following the release of a report that says more than half of the country's judges are corrupt. The lawyers asked the government to sack the judges and reconstitute the judiciary. The report, released today, is compiled by a probe committee set up by the country's chief justice, Aaron Ringera. The committee said it had evidence of crimes, including a video tape showing a judge receiving a bribe. The report has caused ripples within the judicial system and is viewed as the Kenyan Governments' litmus test over its commitment to stamp out corruption. The chairman of the law society of Kenya, Abdillahi Nassir, wants the corrupt judicial officers immediately sidelined. 3 October: Kenya's Daily Nation publishes a list of what it costs to bribe a judge. For an appeal judge -- 15 million shillings ($190,800); for a magistrate -- as little as 4,000 shillings ($50). Other "tariffs" are also published by the newspaper. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 3 October 2003)
* Liberia. Rebel offensive - 6 October: Liberian army commanders have accused the main rebel group of an offensive in the north-east of the country, breaking a ceasefire agreement. One commander said that fighters from the Lurd group were advancing from Gbarnga towards Nimba county. He said that more than 65 people had been killed and civilians were fleeing towards Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire. It's difficult to assess the extent of the fighting because there is no access to Nimba from the capital. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 6 October 2003)
* Liberia. Tentatives d'apaisement - Jeudi 2 octobre. Les heurts qui se sont produits à Monrovia mercredi, entre rebelles et soldats loyalistes, lors de l'arrivée du chef du LURD, Sekou Conneh, ont fait 9 morts et 15 blessés selon un nouveau bilan. La rencontre prévue entre Conneh et le président Blah n'a pas eu lieu. Jeudi, M. Blah a affirmé à la radio nationale que les rebelles ont tenté de le renverser pour installer leur chef au pouvoir. Il a également reproché aux Casques bleus de ne pas avoir désarmé les rebelles à leur entrée dans la ville. -- 5 octobre. Le médiateur des pourparlers de paix, Abdulsalami Abubakar, est arrivé ce dimanche à Monrovia où il devrait finaliser le processus devant mener à l'installation du gouvernement de transition. L'accord conclu entre les parties belligérantes le 18 août à Accra, prévoit la mise en place d'un gouvernement national de transition, organisé en trois pouvoirs distincts: une assemblée nationale, un pouvoir exécutif et un pouvoir judiciaire. Le gouvernement sera chargé de gérer le pays pendant une période de deux ans, jusqu'en janvier 2006. Il sera dirigé par Gyude Bryant, et devrait être installé le 14 octobre. -- Lundi 6 octobre. Le commandant de la force des Nations unies (UNMIL), le général Opande, s'est entretenu avec les parties belligérantes, alors que des rapports font état de nouveaux affrontements entre forces gouvernementales et le LURD au centre et au nord-est du Liberia. Pour sa part, M. Abubakar devait se rendre mardi à Tubmanburg, le bastion du LURD à 60 km à l'ouest de Monrovia, pour y rencontrer M. Conneh. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 6 octobre 2003)
* Liberia. UN starts peace patrols - 2 October: United Nations peacekeepers are patrolling the streets of the Liberian capital, Monrovia, a day after a gun-battle marred the official launch of their mission. Some 3,500 West African troops already deployed in the capital swapped their green berets for blue ones of the UN as authority was transferred to the world body. They are manning the same check-points and roadblocks -- only the colour of their helmets has changed. 6 October: IRIN reports that the force commander of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), General Daniel Opande, has met jointly with representatives of both the Liberian government and the two main rebel groups, LURD and MODEL, in Monrovia. 7 October: General Opande says that Monrovia will be cleared of weapons by 9 October. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 October 2003) 

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