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Weekly ANB1120_06.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 20-11-2003      PART #6/7
* Senegal. Oil stains beach near slave site - An oil slick washed up on a beach near a historic slave trading centre in Senegal, in what appeared to be the latest sign of ships dumping oil off the West African coast, environmentalists said on 16 November. A black smudge covered the water and much of the sand when it hit Gorée Island on 15 November, where some two million African slaves had a last glimpse of their homeland before being shipped across the Atlantic to a lifetime of servitude. "The pollution is quite worrying because the beach at Goree is covered by oil which is quite thinly spread but very visible," Blandine Melis, a marine biologist monitoring ocean life at Senegal's Oceanium diving centre, told Reuters. Melis said she could not identify the specific source of the pollution, but said it was likely to have been dumped at sea by ships washing out their tanks, a frequent source of oil slicks off the coast of Senegal. (CNN, USA, 17 November 2003)
* Senegal. Horsepower for Dakar commuters - Commuters in Senegal's capital are resorting to horses to help evade heavy traffic and cut transport costs. A 20-minute journey can take more than an hour during the city's rush hour. Frustrated passengers are now using a new horse and cart taxi service, which is adept at beating the jams. "The roads are sometimes very busy so we take the shorts cuts to get home faster than the cars," says Alhadj Mbaye a horse taxi operator. The horses are able to use paths leading to the centre of Dakar and unlike minibus taxis are never overloaded. They began carrying passengers three months ago and only carry a maximum of three at a time. There are about 100 now operating in the city and are approximately half the cost of taxis. The horse taxis have long been viewed as ideal for businessmen seeking to ferry goods across the congested capital. Sidi Sarr, a businessman, says the horse carts are quicker, cheaper and more reliable than taxis. With the growing numbers of unemployed people, the mode of transport has also become a reliable source of income for many in Dakar. (BBC News, UK, 17 November 2003)
* Somalia. Heavy death toll in clan fighting - Three days of heavy fighting in the northwest of the Galgadud region of Somalia have left at least 50 people dead and more than 150 wounded, local sources in the regional capital, Dusa-Mareb, said on 17 November. The fighting broke out last week between the Darod subclan of the Marehan and the Dir subclan of Fiqi Muhumud, and was concentrated in and around the village of Herale, about 80km northwest of Dusa-Mareb, said Nur Mu'allim Dhere of the Dir. Herale village is populated by the Dir. According to Abdinasir Hashi of the Marehan clan, the current clashes were triggered by revenge killings for the death in May last year of a prominent Marehan businessman. But the ensuing escalation of violence was also attributed to disagreements over water and grazing in the area, said another source from a neutral clan. "It is more about water and grazing land right now. Herale is close to a good pasture area and water points are very close," he said. "Each group is trying to dislodge the other." This particular clash between the two groups had been "exacerbated by the easy availability of heavy weapons and the terrain in which they are fighting", he added, noting that the area was flat, offering no cover from the battle-wagons (technicals) both sides were using. Nur said his clan had lost 26 with more than 65 wounded in the three days of fighting. Meanwhile, according to Abdinasir, the Marehan have lost about 40 with "over 70" wounded. (IRIN, Kenya 17 November 2003)
* Somalie. Accord de réconciliation - Le jeudi soir 13 novembre, le président du gouvernement de transition M. Hassan Abdulkassim Salat et plusieurs leaders de factions somaliennes ont signé à Tripoli un document portant réconciliation nationale et instauration de paix dans ce pays, a-t-on appris de source officielle dans la capitale libyenne. Selon cette source, l'accord, signé en présence du colonel Kadhafi, couronne les efforts déployés depuis des mois par le dirigeant libyen. M. Salat a fait part de l'engagement de toutes les parties signataires à arrêter l'effusion de sang, à réaliser la réconciliation nationale, et à assurer la sécurité et la stabilité du pays. (PANA, Sénégal, 14 novembre 2003)
* South Africa. New mining force - 13 November: A three-way merger is set to create South Africa's largest black-controlled mining company. African Rainbow Minerals, Anglovaal and Harmony have agreed to pool resources, putting Patrice Motsepe, a leading black entrepreneur, in charge. The deal marks a step towards meeting ambitious government targets for the transfer of mining assets to groups disadvantaged by apartheid rule. Harmony is already the world's fifth largest gold producer. Under the new deal, Mr Motsepe's ARMgold takes control of Anglovaal, while Harmony will pay 2.89bn rand for a 42.2% stake in Anglovaal's gold division. ARMgold recently merged with Harmony, meaning the three companies are to be inter-locked in a complex series of asset swaps and share issues. The merged ARM and Harmony empire has interests in platinum, nickel and ferrous metals in addition to its significant gold resources. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 November 2003)
* South Africa. All about spies and corruption - 17 November: A former South African minister has told a judicial inquiry that the director of public prosecutions was an agent for the apartheid government. Former Transport Minister Mac Maharaj said he received the information about prosecutor Bulelani Ngcuka in 1989 or 1990 as white minority rule was ending. President Mbeki set up the inquiry whilst Mr Ngcuka was looking into alleged government corruption. Mr Ngcuka denied being a spy after suggestions that he was Agent RS452. Since then, a young female lawyer, Vanessa Brereton, currently living in the UK, confessed that she was that agent. The story has been front page news in South Africa. After investigating Vice-President Jacob Zuma, Mr Ngcuka said there was a case against him in connection with a multi-million dollar arms deal, but not enough evidence to take him to court. Mr Zuma said he wanted to clear his name in court and asked why details of the investigation had been leaked to the Press. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 17 November 2003)
* South Africa. Ken Gampu -- a black film star who inspired a generation in apartheid South Africa - During the darkest days of apartheid, Ken Gampu, who died on 4 November aged 74, became the first black South African film star, and an inspiration to a generation of black South African actors by appearing in several international productions. There was a price to be paid, however, because most of the roles he was called upon to play were those of stereotypical noble savages. (..) Gampu, like Paul Robeson many years earlier, had little choice. However, according to Eddie Mbalo, chief executive of South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation: "Ken paved the way for many talented black actors to start recognising their abilities. He also provided our local actors with the motivation to become bigger stars, proving that not even Hollywood is beyond their reach." Gampu, who lived most of his life in a modest home in the East Rand, is survived by his wife and two sons. (The Guardian, UK, 19 November 2003)
* Afrique du Sud/France. Thabo Mbeki à Paris - 17 novembre. Le président sud-africain Thabo Mbeki effectue une visite d'Etat de trois jours en France, placée sous le signe du développement des relations économiques entre les deux pays. M. Mbeki est accompagné d'une importante délégation économique, et notamment de ses ministres de l'Industrie et du Commerce, des Entreprises publiques et du Développement social. Le lundi 17 novembre, il sera reçu avec tous les honneurs à l'Elysée par le président Chirac. Le mardi, il sera le premier président de l'Afrique subsaharienne à s'adresser à l'Assemblée nationale française, et le troisième dirigeant anglophone à être écouté de la sorte après Bill Clinton et Tony Blair. M. Mbeki profitera sans doute de son séjour pour rappeler que l'Afrique du Sud s'est imposée ces dernières années comme un partenaire économique essentiel, et comme le passage obligé de toute diplomatie en Afrique. -- Le mercredi 19 novembre, M. Mbeki a achevé sa visite officielle en appelant la communauté internationale à jouer un rôle dans le renouveau économique de l'Afrique. S'exprimant au siège de l'Unesco, il a tenté d'attirer des soutiens pour le NEPAD (Nouveau partenariat pour le développement économique de l'Afrique). Le mardi, devant l'Assemblée nationale, il a rappelé qu'il sera "très difficile" au continent africain de parvenir à une renaissance économique et sociale sans le soutien de la France et du reste du monde. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 novembre 2003)
* South Africa. Tackling AIDS - 20 November: The UN's special envoy on HIV and AIDS in Africa has welcomed a package of measures approved by South Africa's government to tackle the disease. But Stephen Lewis added that many people had died needlessly waiting for government intervention. The South African Cabinet has approved a plan to distribute free AIDS drugs to more than five million sufferers. Zackie Achmat, the country's best-known AIDS campaigner, described the decision as "really an enormous victory". Announcing the decision on 19 November, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang acknowledged there was "still a long way to go" in the fight against AIDS. Under the plan, the government will establish a network of centres to distribute anti-retroviral drugs to fight the disease. Mrs Tshabalala-Msimang said each of the country's roughly 50 health districts would have a distribution centre within a year. Implementing the programme will require major upgrade of the health care system, recruiting and training large numbers of health care workers, she said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 November 2003)
* Afrique du Sud. Lutte contre le sida - Le 19 novembre, l'Afrique du Sud a approuvé un plan national de traitement du sida. "Le gouvernement va, de manière urgente, commencer à mettre en place un programme de mise à disposition d'antirétroviraux dans le secteur public de la santé", a annoncé au Cap la ministre de la Santé, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. L'Afrique du Sud a l'un des taux d'infection par le sida les plus élevés au monde, avec 5 millions de personnes infectées sur une population de 45 millions d'habitants. Ce plan national était réclamé depuis des années par le milieu médical, les ONG et des personnalités telles que Nelson Mandela et Desmond Tutu. Le gouvernement a maintenant donné son accord de principe à un plan visant à distribuer gratuitement les traitements par médicaments antirétroviraux par le système de santé publique, sans toutefois préciser la date de son entrée en vigueur. Il doit encore lancer un appel d'offres, former les personnels de santé et choisir les centres de distribution. "La route est encore longue", a déclaré la ministre à la presse. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 novembre 2003)
* Sudan. Severe fighting in western Sudan - 13 November: The international community should pay more attention to continued clashes in western Sudan, the head of the United Nations refugee agency has said. Diplomats have described the fighting in Darfur as "ethnic cleansing" with Arab militias, possibly backed by the government, destroying entire villages. UNHCR chief Ruud Lubbers says some 500,000 people have fled their homes. The chaos there is in contrast to the situation in the south, where an end to 20 years of civil war is now in sight. "There is severe fighting there. There are people driven out of their houses," Mr Lubbers said. "It is a very dramatic problem and to be frank even the international community is not sufficiently aware." (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 November 2003)
* Soudan. Reprise des négociations le 5 décembre - Le vice-président soudanais, Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, et John Garang, le leader de l'Armée de libération des peuples du Soudan (SPLA), doivent rependre les négociations de paix le 5 décembre au Kenya, a annoncé l'agence soudanaise de presse (SUNA) le 17 novembre. M. Ghazi Salah Eddin, le conseiller pour la paix du président, a déclaré que les pourparlers auraient lieu cinq jours après les réunions préparatoires des délégations des deux parties. Le gouvernement de Khartoum et la SPLA ont fait des progrès sensibles dans leurs négociations. Un accord de paix devrait être conclu avant la fin de l'année. -- Par ailleurs, le 18 novembre, John Garang est arrivé à Paris où il devrait rencontrer l'ancien vice-président soudanais Hassane El Tourabi, dont la mise en résidence surveillée a été récemment levée. Ce tête-à-tête qui portera sur le processus de paix, même s'il n'a pas de caractère officiel, traduit à lui seul une nette évolution de la situation socio-politique au Soudan, qui souhaite désormais tourner la page de la guerre civile. (PANA, Sénégal, 17-18 novembre 2003)
* Swaziland. King stalls on constitution - Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III of Swaziland, on 14 November named a new prime minister for the small African nation, but failed to adopt a controversial draft constitution. Mswati said the 150-page document -- written in English -- could only be adopted once it had been translated into the Swazis' mother tongue, Siswati. Dressed in traditional red robes and feathers, he told onlookers: "People cannot relate to a document written in another language. They want a document written in their own language." At the same function, attended by about 2 000 people at a cattle kraal at the Ludzidzini royal palace, about 20km south of the capital Mbabane, Mswati appointed businessman Themba Dlamini as prime minister. "I have sought advice from heaven, I have thought about it and come to the conclusion that he [Dlamini] is the right man to pick for this position," Mswati told the crowd when he emerged to speak four hours after the meeting started. Dlamini's appointment follows low-key parliamentary elections last month in the country roughly half the size of Belgium, which had been widely boycotted by pro-democracy groups in protest against a ban on political parties. Dlamini holds a doctorate in economics, is the managing director of the Tibiyo Takangwane royal investment company and is thought to be a popular choice. Mswati gave no date for when the draft constitution would be adopted for the tiny country wedged between South Africa and Mozambique. Unveiled at the end of May, the new draft constitution is the first attempt in 30 years by the monarchy to bring in some changes in Swaziland, where political parties have been banned by Mswati's predecessor, King Sobhuza II, since 1973. (Mail & Guardian, South Africa, 15 November 2003) 

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