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Weekly ANB1218_03.txt #5

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 18-12-2003      PART #3/5
* Egypt/Kenya. Water row - 12 December: The Egyptian Government expresses its disappointment after Kenya announces its intention to withdraw from the 1929 Nile Basin Treaty. The treaty restricts Kenya from using water from Lake Victoria, which is a source of the River Nile. Eight main rivers in Kenya pour into Lake Victoria and the Kenyan government wants to ensure its gets its fair share of water. The Nile Badin Treaty is signed by Burundi, Congo RDC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 December 2003)
* Ethiopie. Heurts mortels à Gambella - Des informations encore imprécises font état d'affrontements mortels entre deux communautés ethniques dans la zone de Gambella, près de la frontière avec le Soudan (à 450 km à l'ouest d'Addis-Abeba). Le HCR indique un bilan d'une trentaine de morts, alors que des sources humanitaires citées par AP parlent d'une centaine de tués. Des affrontements avaient déjà eu lieu dans cette zone dans le passé, mais jamais d'une telle intensité. Selon le site allafrica.com, les combats auraient commencé entre les ethnies Anuak et Nuer, suite à une embuscade qui a fait sept morts. Le rôle de l'armée est encore obscur. Envoyée sur place, elle aurait exercé une sorte de punition contre les Anuak. On ignore encore si ces violences sont liées aux accords d'exploitation d'éventuels gisements de pétrole. La convoitise territoriale pourrait s'être envenimée à cause de l'arrivée de grandes sociétés pétrolières venues explorer dans la région. (D'après Misna, Italie, 16 décembre 2003)
* Ethiopia. Violent land clashes - 16 December: Some 30 people are reported to have been killed in weekend violence near Ethiopia's border with Sudan, though aid workers put the toll much higher. An Ethiopian Defence Ministry spokeswoman said troops had gone to Gambella region to restore calm. Fighting is said to have been sparked by a land dispute between ethnic communities living in the area. Schools, shops and offices are closed and hospitals are overstretched as scores of wounded are brought in. Domestic flights between the capital, Addis Ababa and Gambella have also been cancelled. An eyewitness said Ethiopian highlanders, supported by the military, have attacked local people. But army spokeswoman Major Harnet Yohannes said the soldiers were there only to keep the peace. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 December 2003)
* Ethiopia. Mengistu on trial - Nine years into the trial of former Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam and his regime, defence lawyers finally opened their defence on 16 December, against the 209 charges of crimes against humanity during what was called the Red Terror in the late 1970s. The trial of Mengistu and 69 of his aides has become a lesson in the challenges of resurrecting a local justice system to prosecute crimes committed by a former dictator and his government, and how local courts can't always cope. While no one knows for sure how many people Mengistu's Marxist regime, which ruled between 1974 and 1991, killed during the purge of suspected opponents, experts estimate the number to be 150,000. Human Rights Watch called the Red Terror "one of the most systematic uses of mass murder by a state ever witnessed". Rebels, led by Meles Zenawi, the Prime Minister, seized power in 1991, and Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe. The government then began planning trials, which started in December 1994 and were hailed as "Africa's Nuremberg". Mengistu is being tried in absentia. But the courts are inefficient -- 1,017 people have been convicted, 6,426 are awaiting trial and more than 3,000, like Mr Mengistu, live in exile. The Information Minister, Bereket Simon, said: "Given our inefficiency in the judicial system...we need to overhaul it." The trial is expected to last several more years. (The Independent, UK, 17 December 2003)
* Ethiopia. Malaria outbreak - 17 December: Aid agencies and government officials are battling with a ravaging malaria outbreak in Ethiopia. The number of deaths following the outbreak has risen by three times, according to aid agency officials. Efforts to contain the disease are being frustrated by the use of ineffective drugs, aid agency Médécins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said. The Ethiopian health ministry has allegedly rejected the use of a cocktail of drugs recommended by MSF. MSF spokeswoman in Ethiopia, Annick Hamel, said that 5,000 people are contracting malaria every week in the regions they operate from. She said about 15 million more are threatened by the outbreak -- the worst ever seen in Ethiopia. Ms Hamel said the combination of drugs they recommend to use to contain the outbreak has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). But Ethiopian health officials are reportedly evaluating the drugs before they approve their use. MSF says the drugs are being used in South Africa, Zambia and Zanzibar, countries considered by the WHO to be malaria zones. (BBC News, UK, 17 December 2003)
* Guinée. Présidentielle le 21 décembre - La Guinée va vivre dimanche prochain une présidentielle sous tension mais sans suspense, commente l'agence AFP le 16 décembre. Un référendum en 2001 a permis au général Conté d'envisager un nouveau mandat, instaurant ce que l'opposition a qualifié de "présidence à vie". Entre un président au pouvoir depuis près de 20 ans et notoirement malade, une armée secouée depuis fin novembre par des arrestations inexpliquées, un dialogue dans l'impasse et une situation économique désastreuse, l'éléction relève du non-événement. Les principales figures de l'opposition n'ont pas jugé utile de se présenter, estimant que l'affaire est encore une fois entendue d'avance. Le président Conté aura face à lui un seul adversaire, Mamadou Bhoye Barry, leader et unique député d'un petit parti difficilement classable, remarque encore AFP. -- Le 16 décembre, les militaires guinéens interpellés entre le 26 et le 28 novembre dans différentes garnisons du pays, ont été libérés. Selon les observateurs, ces libérations interviennent dans un souci d'apaisement à la veille du scrutin présidentiel. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 17 décembre 2003)
* Kenya. Controversy over new coin - 11 December: A new coin bearing the image of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has sparked controversy after he promised to end personality cults. The new 40 shilling coin went into circulation, today, to mark 40 years of independence. Earlier this year, notes bearing the portrait of founding President Jomo Kenyatta were introduced. The notes were introduced after a pledge by the ruling Narc coalition, to end the "personality cult" in Kenya. Other new currencies unveiled include a re-designed 200 shilling note, a 5,000 shilling gold coin and a 1,000 shilling silver coin. These coins also feature Mr Kibaki's image. Central bank governor Andrew Mullei said only the 40 shilling coin and 200 shilling note, that has the portrait of founding President Jomo Kenyatta, will be in circulation. The others will be collectors' items. (BBC News, UK, 11 December 2003)
Kenya. Scandal newspapers fight ban - 11 December: Editors of press publications in Kenya known as scandal sheets have vowed to continue printing their newspapers, despite a government crackdown. They are seeking a court injunction to stop the government from removing their publications from the market. Attorney General Amos Wako ordered a crackdown this week. Last month some printed the HIV status of some MPs. The Kenya Union of Journalists backs the ban and says they are guilty of reckless reporting. The publications often contain lurid reports of Kenya's rich and have been accused of thriving on character assassination. The Publisher of The Patriot, one of the targeted newspapers, Boy Matumbai, said the crackdown was designed to intimidate and harass them. "We should not be condemned wholesale, we have different editorial policies and if they think we miss-report they should sue for libel," Mr Matumbai said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 11 December 2003)
* Kenya. Moi summoned before murder probe - 16 December: Former President Daniel arap Moi is to be summoned on 5 January to answer questions about the murder of former foreign minister Robert Ouko. Parliamentary select committee chairman Gor Sunguh says they will also summon ex-minister Nicholas Biwott. Police never solved the murder 13 years ago, though Mr Moi and Mr Biwott have always denied any involvement. Mr Ouko's body was found three days after he went missing having been shot, doused with petrol and set alight. He disappeared from his farm in western Kenya shortly after returning from a trip to the US. Mr Moi's government set up and then disbanded investigations by both Scotland Yard and by the Gicheru Commission. Mr Sungah told a news conference that in order for their committee to do their task properly, they needed to cover areas not covered in previous investigations. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 December 2003)
* Kenya. Hunting for missing billions - 16 December: The authorities in Kenya are seeking to retrieve at least $1bn siphoned out of the country by former officials. A six-month inquiry by investigative group Kroll has tracked the stolen money to accounts in big-name banks, and shares in London hotels. The money may already have passed on to less co-operative places such as Zimbabwe, Kenyan ministers believe. But experts say recovering the loot - possibly as much as $4bn -- could be much more difficult than tracing it. The money in question is thought to have been embezzled during the previous administration of former President Daniel arap Moi, who ruled for 24 years before stepping down following election defeat in December last year. "Identifying the assets is just the first step," Gladwell Odieno, Executive Director of anti-graft group Transparency International, said. (BBC News, UK, 16 December 2003)
* Liberia. Pause in disarmament - 15 December: The United Nations has ordered a pause in the Liberian disarmament process after more fighters wanted to hand in their weapons than was anticipated. More than 9,000 former fighters turned up at the Schieffelin military barracks, 25km east of the capital. The camp, which was designed to hold 1,000, has been overwhelmed and the UN says it will stop taking in the former combatants until 20 January. A UN spokeswoman said they could then return to finish off demobilising. The UN mission in neighbouring Sierra Leone, which successfully oversaw a disarmament process of its own, warned on Monday, that they were receiving reports that Liberian rebels are smuggling weapons over the border. They have reinforced their presence along the border. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 December 2003)
* Liberia. La MINUL débordée - La Mission des Nations unies au Liberia (MINUL) est dépassée par le nombre de volontaires au désarmement. Elle va donc ralentir le processus de désarmement, démobilisation, réhabilitation et réintégration (DDRR), qui ne peut répondre aux besoins sur place, quatre fois supérieurs aux évaluations. L'enregistrement des anciens combattants sera suspendu pendant un mois, à partir du 17 décembre, le temps d'améliorer les conditions de vie dans les camps. Le processus de désarmement avait débuté le 7 décembre. Mais de violentes émeutes menées par d'anciens soldats de l'ex-président Taylor avaient rapidement éclaté pour demander une amélioration des conditions de démobilisation. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 16 décembre 2003)
* Madagascar. Ratsiraka condamné - Un tribunal de Madagascar a condamné l'ancien président Didier Ratsiraka à cinq ans de prison pour avoir incité cinq provinces du pays à la sécession lors de la crise politique qui a secoué l'île en 2002, ont rapporté des avocats le 16 décembre. Ratsiraka, qui vit en exil en France, n'était pas présent lors de l'audience. Il avait déjà été condamné en août à dix ans de travaux forcés pour détournement de 8 millions de dollars. On ignore si les autorités malgaches entendent réclamer son extradition. Didier Ratsiraka a quitté Madagascar en juillet 2002, après six mois de crise déclenchée par le résultat serré de l'élection présidentielle qui a porté finalement son rival au pouvoir. (Reuters, 16 décembre 2003)
* Madagascar. Former president sentenced to five years in prison - The authorities in Madagascar remained tight-lipped on 17 December over whether the government would seek to extradite Didier Ratsiraka from France after a court had sentenced the former president to five years in prison for his role in last year's political crisis. Ratsiraka, who fled the country at the height of the political upheaval, did not appear in court at the hearing on 15 December. "At the moment we are not in a position to state if we are going to request Ratsiraka's extradition or not, but some people would like to see him return, only so that he can answer all of the charges levelled at him. This sentence shows people that the government is committed to justice, and that justice applies to everyone, irrespective of their position," presidential spokesman, Raymond Ramandimbilahatra, told IRIN. He confirmed that in August President Marc Ravalomanana turned down a request from the former ruler to return to the country. The five-year sentence was handed down as a result of Ratsiraka's attempt to get five of the country's six provinces to secede during the 2002 political troubles. Two of Ratsiraka's former provincial governors were also sentenced to five years in prison at Monday's hearing, while three other governors will have to serve three years each for their support of the attempted secession. (IRIN, Kenya, 17 December 2003) 

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