Weekly ANB1029_07.txt #7



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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 30-10-2003      PART #7/7

* Soudan. Accords gouvernement/SPLA - 23 octobre. Le gouvernement de Khartoum a promis d'aider des centaines de milliers de déplacés internes dans le Sud-Soudan, une fois que la guerre civile sera terminée. "Dès que l'accord de paix sera appliqué et que la sécurité sera garantie, nous les encouragerons à rentrer chez eux", a déclaré à Kampala le ministre soudanais des Affaires étrangères, Mustafa Osman Ismaïl. "Seule une véritable sécurité dans le Sud va donner une raison aux déplacés de retourner chez eux", a-t-il affirmé, soulignant que les négociations de paix devraient aboutir à un accord final. Il a toutefois indiqué qu'il reste toujours des points litigieux dans les négociations entre le gouvernement et la rébellion sudiste, à savoir la répartition égale du pouvoir et des richesses et l'administration des trois régions disputées (l'Etat du Nil Bleu, Abeyi et les monts Nouba) durant la période intérimaire. -- 28 octobre. Le gouvernement et les rebelles soudanais sont parvenus à un accord sur le partage des revenus tirés de la manne pétrolière, a déclaré une source haut placée de l'Armée de libération des peuples du Soudan (SPLA). En vertu de cet accord, 60% de la richesse pétrolière iront au Sud-Soudan et 40% au Nord, a révélé la source, qui a requis l'anonymat, au journal privé Khartoum Monitor. Concernant les zones litigieuses, toujours selon la même source, le gouvernement aurait accepté une proposition en faveur du rattachement d'Abeyi à l'Etat du Bahr el-Ghazal. (PANA, Sénégal, 24-29 octobre 2003)

* Soudan. Darfour: attaques et discussions - Selon une dépêche de l'agence Misna du 28 octobre, neuf opérateurs soudanais d'une agence humanitaire américaine ont été tués au Darfour, alors qu'ils transportaient des aides alimentaires. L'agression a eu lieu la semaine dernière, a indiqué Andrew Natsios, le responsable de l'USAID. Dernièrement un quotidien de Khartoum avait rapporté des attaques de bandes armées islamiques dans cette région du sud-ouest, qui auraient provoqué une centaine de victimes. --D'autre part, le 28 octobre, une délégation du gouvernement soudanais et les rebelles du Mouvement de libération du Soudan (MLS), implantés au Darfour, ont entamé des discussions à Abéché (est du Tchad), selon des sources concordantes. Les deux parties avaient signé, le 3 septembre, un cessez-le-feu de 45 jours. Les nouvelles discussions devraient "aboutir à une paix globale", les deux délégations affirmant "leur engagement à parvenir à la paix et à la stabilité" dans le Darfour. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 octobre 2003)

* Soudan. Accident d'hélicoptère - Le 28 octobre, un hélicoptère militaire soudanais s'est écrasé dans le centre du pays, tuant ses 20 passagers. L'accident est dû apparemment à des "raisons techniques". Plusieurs accidents meurtriers d'aéronefs ont eu lieu ces dernières années au Soudan. (La Croix, France, 30 octobre 2003)

* Tanzania. Witch killers arrested - 23 October: Police in Tanzania say they have arrested a number of people suspected of murdering old women in the belief that they were witches. "Some of the suspects we are holding have confessed to killing these old women," the Shinyanga regional police commander, Mr Abdallah Missika, said. With "witchcraft"-related crimes on the increase in Tanzania, the police chief said old women with red eyes were being singled out for attack. Police also arrested a number of witchdoctors suspected of passing on the names of "witches" to people whose relatives had died "through witchcraft. It is believed that any aged, old woman with red eyes is a witch," Mr Missika said. The police chief also said that some of the suspects said they had been contracted to carry out the murders. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 23 October 2003)

* Chad. Polio outbreak reaches Chad - A polio outbreak spreading from a longtime hotbed of the disease in northern Nigeria has reached Chad, the fourth African nation this year to experience a resurgence of the disease, which public heath authorities hope to eradicate globally by 2005. In response, a $10 million emergency vaccination campaign that began last week in Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo, will be expanded to Chad at an additional cost of $3 million, World Health Organisation officials said. The two cases in Chad turned up in August in two southern provinces, Mayo-Kebbi and Logone Orientale. (Washington Post, USA, 29 October 2003)

* Uganda. IGAD summit in Kampala - 24 October: Work has begun in Kampala, Uganda, at a meeting of member nations of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), the regional organisation which includes Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea. The meeting will be centred particularly on the renewed tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, as also on the two peace processes presently underway in the region: the Sudan peace process and the Somalia peace process. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 October 2003)

* Ouganda. Le fils d'Amin Dada de retour - Le fils aîné de l'ex-dictateur ougandais Idi Amin Dada, Taban Amin, 49 ans, accusé par Kampala de diriger un groupe rebelle visant à renverser le régime actuel, est revenu dans la capitale ougandaise, pour la première fois depuis la chute de son père en 1979. Le président ougandais Yoweri Museveni qui l'a accueilli, a déclaré dans un communiqué que "personne n'a besoin de s'imposer un exil à ce stade de développement de l'Ouganda". La hiérarchie militaire avait accusé plusieurs fois Taban Amin de préparer des attaques contre l'Ouganda depuis la vallée de Semliki, dans le nord-est du Congo-RDC, le long de la frontière congo-ougandaise. Mais il n'y jamais eu aucune preuve de liens entre la rébellion ougandaise des Forces démocratiques alliées (ADF), active dans cette zone, et Taban Amin. Comme il n'a jamais été prouvé que Taban Amin ait réellement eu quelque groupe armé sous son commandement ou qu'il ait collaboré avec l'Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA). Depuis 1998, Taban Amin vivait dans les locaux de l'ambassade ougandaise à Kinshasa, d'où il aurait récemment été expulsé, selon le quotidien ougandais "New Vision", par des responsables du gouvernement congolais. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 octobre 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Aide britannique - Le 23 octobre,la Grande-Bretagne a offert 7 millions de livres sterlings au Zimbabwe pour financer l'importation de vivres et de médicaments et pallier la pénurie dans le pays. Sur ce montant, £5 millions sont destinés à l'aide alimentaire pour éviter une famine de masse suite à deux années de sécheresse consécutives. Le restant devrait servir à importer des médicaments. Ces fonds ont été offerts via le PAM et l'Unicef, qui se chargeront respectivement de la gestion des dons alimentaires et dons de médicaments. (PANA, Sénégal, 23 octobre 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Opposition denied food - 24 October: Human Rights Watch has accused the Zimbabwean government of denying its opponents access to food supplies. In a report entitled "The Politicisation of Food in Zimbabwe," the group says farmers recently resettled as part of President Robert Mugabe's land redistribution policy are among those affected. The government in Harare has denied the allegations. An estimated five million Zimbabweans -- more than a third of the population --will need food aid by the end of the year. In its 50-page report, Human Rights Watch documents how those suspected of being opposition supporters are denied help. It says government and ruling ZANU-PF party officials manipulate the distribution of subsidised grain and the registration of those eligible for international food aid. It describes the denial of access to food as a human rights violation as serious as arbitrary imprisonment or torture. The ruling party's information secretary, Nathan Shamuyarira, categorically rejected the findings. "There are so many people as you know in both London and Washington who write false reports about Zimbabwe. I can assure you that there is no politicisation of food." The allegations of political interference in the distribution of food are not new, but the suggestion that small-scale farmers who have been resettled are also affected is more unusual. Human Rights Watch says the Zimbabwean Government does not want to acknowledge that its highly controversial programme is a failure. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe "in good health" - On 28 October, the South African Press Association issued the following news report: "South Africa's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad, and Zimbabwe's High Commissioner in Pretoria, Simon Moyo, have denied reports that President Mugabe is being treated in a South African hospital. Pahad said in Pretoria: "I've been informed that he is in Zimbabwe chairing the normal Cabinet meeting that takes place on Tuesdays. We have no official notification that he is in South Africa or that he has any health problems. That did not exclude the possibility that Mugabe may have visited the country", Pahad pointed out. The South African government is only informed of a visit from a foreign head of state if VIP treatment or other diplomatic assistance is required. Moyo also placed Mugabe in Harare". The same day, the BBC News said: "A spokesman for the South African foreign ministry, Ronnie Mamoepa also denied the media reports. He said: "President Mugabe is not in South Africa. If he was, the government would have been the first to know". Their comments followed media reports quoting unnamed sources in Zimbabwe as saying that Mr Mugabe had collapsed on Monday (27 October) and had been flown to South Africa for emergency medical treatment. Correspondents say here have been a number of rumours about Mr Mugabe's health in recent years". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 28 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Army staff deployed in hospitals - 29 October: Hundreds of medical staff in Zimbabwe's army have been deployed to help in hospitals which have been hit by a strike by doctors and nurses. Thousands of nurses joined doctors on strike at the beginning of the week pushing for huge pay rises, paralysing services in hospitals in the capital, Harare. The government has dismissed their demands as "ridiculous and disgraceful" and said the strike is illegal as medical staff are operating essential services. The striking workers are seeking pay rises of up to 11,000% after seeing their salaries decimated by one of the world's highest inflation rates. Zimbabwe has seen a series of strikes in recent years as the economic crisis in the country has spiralled downwards. Zimbabwe now has 70% unemployment, a 460% inflation rate, chronic food shortages and fuel price risen of more than 600% this year. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 29 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. The "Daily News" again under attack - 24 October: The Zimbabwean authorities have been told to grant an operating licence to a newspaper shut down by police last month. A judge ruled the government-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC) had been wrong to deny a licence to the Daily News. "We are pleased with the decision, but our legal battle is not yet over," the paper's publisher, Samuel Nkomo said. "We will humbly continue our business of publishing a newspaper as soon as possible." The MIC has indicated that it will now appeal to the Supreme Court. The Daily News was Zimbabwe's best-selling and only privately-owned daily, employing about 300 full-time staff and nearly 1,000 vendors. It was known for being highly critical of President Robert Mugabe, in stark contrast to the state-owned media, which are seen as government mouthpieces. The lawyer representing the Daily News says that the judge ordered the licence to be issued as soon as possible. If a licence has not been issued by the 31 November then a licence will be deemed to have been issued, she said. 25 October: The police again shut down The Daily News, after staff had published an edition featuring a jubilant banner headline: "We are back". 18 journalists are arrested. 26 October: Armed police occupy the Harare offices of The Daily News. Also, Washington Sansole, one of the directors of the newspaper group, is arrested in Bulawayo. Police say he will be held until his colleagues turn themselves in. 27 October: A total of five directors of The Daily News have now been arrested. Today, four more directors, including chief executive Samuel Nkomo, are arrested and charged with publishing without a licence. The newspaper's legal adviser, Gugulethu Moyo, says Mr Nkomo, Rachel Kupara, Michel Mattinson and Brian Mutsau all presented themselves to the police. -- Washington Sansole is released today after lawyers obtain a High Court order for his release. 28 October: A lawyer representing four directors of Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper has complained that they are being imprisoned in inhumane conditions. Their lawyer, Gugulethu Moyo, says that the four -- Samuel Nkomo, Rachel Kupara, Michel Mattinson and Brian Mutsau -- are being held in a tiny, unsanitary prison cell and had been denied medicines. Ms Moyo, who is the newspaper's legal adviser, says the director of public prosecutions has told her they will appear in court on 29 October, charged with operating without a licence and of contempt of court. 29 October: The four directors still under arrest are released on bail. The court in Harare orders them to return on 13 November when it will be decided whether to try them on charges of publishing without a licence and contempt of court. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 29 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. La presse harcelée - Le dimanche 26 octobre, la police a arrêté l'ancien juge Washington Sansolé, un des responsables du seul quotidien privé du Zimbabwe, le Daily News, en l'accusant d'avoir repris sa publication sans autorisation. Le journal avait été fermé le 12 septembre par la police, mais a réapparu dans les kiosques le 25 octobre en édition réduite (8 pages au lieu de 48). La police a fait une perquisition dans les locaux du journal et a arrêté 18 membres du personnel (rapidement remis en liberté). Le Daily News s'est toujours montré critique envers le pouvoir du président Robert Mugabe et a été accusé d'infraction aux strictes nouvelles lois adoptées sur les médias. -- Lundi, M. Sansolé a été remis en liberté, mais quatre autres directeurs du quotidien qui se sont spontanément présentés à la police étaient toujours retenus en fin d'après-midi, a indiqué la conseillère juridique du journal. Parmi eux, M. Samuel Nkomo, le directeur de publication. -- Le mercredi 29 octobre, les quatre directeurs arrêtés lundi ont été remis en liberté provisoire, sous caution, par un tribunal d'Harare, qui les a cependant de nouveau convoqués le 13 novembre pour les entendre et éventuellement les inculper formellement. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 octobre 2003)

Weekly anb1029.tx - #7/7 -  THE END