weekly anb06155.txt #8

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 15-06-2000      PART #5/8

* Liberia. UK plays aid card in diamond ruse  -  13 June: Britain
succeeds in blocking a 35 million pound sterling European aid
package to Liberia, in a move to force its president, Charles
Taylor, to stop supplying the rebels in Sierra Leone with arms
and supplies in return for diamonds. The move comes in the face
of strong opposition from the European Commission which believes
it will be ordinary Liberians and not Mr Taylor who will feel the
pain. Keith Vaz, the UK's minister for Europe, persuades a
meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg to put the aid "on
ice" after several days of intense lobbying by the British
Foreign Office in EU capitals. 14 June: The Liberian Government
is demanding an international commission of inquiry into
allegations that it is involved in diamond and gunrunning in
Sierra Leone.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 15 June 2000)

* Malawi. Prisoners to vote in local polls  -  8 June: Malawi's
estimated 8,000 prisoners will vote in the local government
elections scheduled for September. This decision is in line with
the 1999 High Court ruling that inmates, too, have a right to
exercise their right to choose their leaders, even though they
are behind bars.

* Malawi. Bubonic Plague  -  Bubonic plague seem to be perennial
in the southernmost district of Nsanje, as at least seven cases
have been confirmed following another outbreak last year. At
least 30 other people are also suspected of carrying the disease
but health officials say the figure could be much higher. Bernard
Chikonda, the Maternal and Child Coordinator in the district,
says two cases have been detected at Mbenje, while five others
have been confirmed at Ndamera in the district that boarders on
Mozambique (8 June). Chikonda, who said he has visited the areas
concerned, said he suspected many more people might be infected
since most areas are inaccessible by vehicles. Also, in some
communities. People do not go to hospitals due to the long
distances. "To check the spread of the plague we have erected
tents to quarantine those infected," he said.   (Raphael
Tenthani, ANB-BIA, Malawi, 8 June 2000)   (PANA, Dakar, 8 June
2000)

* Malawi. Foot-And-Mouth Disease outbreak  -  The Ministry of
Agriculture in the capital, Lilongwe, has confirmed an outbreak
of Foot-And-Mouth Disease, in the northern district of Mzimba.
The disease is threatening at least 35, 000 head of cattle in the
district. Meat supplies in Lilongwe are also under threat because
the government has banned trade in cattle from the district. The
Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Ministry of
Home Affairs and Internal security, has set up roadblocks where
police officers are confiscating cattle carcasses going into the
city of Lilongwe. Although most beef products in Malawi are
imported from South Africa and Zimbabwe, the steady fall in the
value of the Malawi currency, the Kwacha, in recent times has
made most importers cut down on the volume of their imports since
it is increasingly becoming expensive. The Kwacha is now selling
at around 55 to the dollar from around 44 to the dollar in April.
Economic forecasts indicate that it may be selling at 60 to the
dollar before the week is out. Dr. Dan Chinomba, director of
animal industry in the Ministry of Agriculture, said the ministry
does not have figures as to how many head of cattle have been
affected by the disease.   (Raphael Tenthani, ANB-BIA, Malawi,
13 June 2000)

* Maroc. Profonde reforme des mosquees marocaines  -  Le roi
Mohammed VI du Maroc a engage une profonde reforme de la gestion
des mosquees du royaume, les lieux de culte etant desormais
appeles a jouer un role accru pour "lutter contre l'ignorance et
l'analphabetisme", a-t-on appris vendredi 9 juin, dans un
communique du ministere des Habous (biens religieux) et des
Affaires religieuses. Selon cette reforme, les mosquees
marocaines seront prochainement ouvertes toute la journee "dans
un souci d'ouverture sur la societe", avec l'organisation dans
leurs enceintes "de cours de lutte contre l'analphabetisme et
l'autorisation de competences feminines pour y dispenser des
cours de predications." On a en outre annonce le demantelement
prochain du ministere des Habous et des Affaires islamiques. Ce
deuxieme volet serait confie a un conseil de theologiens
("Oulemas") place sous l'autorite directe du roi. Cette reforme
marque la premiere decision de Mohammed VI sur la gestion de la
vie religieuse du royaume, marquee par une montee en puissance
de la mouvance islamiste a travers un puissant reseau associatif
et caritatif.   (D'apres AP, 9 juin 2000)

* Maroc. Jugement casse  -  Le 14 juin a Rabat, la Cour supreme
a casse la condamnation a 5 ans de prison du capitaine Mustapha
Adib par le tribunal militaire de Rabat pour avoir parle a un
journaliste du Monde et denonce la corruption dans l'armee, et
a decide de renvoyer l'affaire devant une autre juridiction.
Mustapha Adib avait ete condamne le 17 fevrier a cinq ans de
prison pour "violation des consignes militaires" et "outrage a
l'armee".   (Le Soir, Belgique, 15 juin 2000)

* Mauritanie/Senegal. Fin de la crise  -  La Mauritanie a decide
d'arreter le rapatriement autoritaire de milliers de Senegalais
vivant sur son territoire, a annonce le 10 juin le Premier
ministre senegalais Moustapha Niasse. Cette mesure intervenait
a la suite d'accusations mauritaniennes selon lesquelles le
Senegal avait relance un projet d'irrigation, utilisant les eaux
communes du fleuve Senegal au detriment de la Mauritanie. Le
president senegalais, Abdoulaye Wade, devrait se rendre
prochainement en Mauritanie pour exprimer de vive voix sa
"volonte de renforcer l'amitie entre les deux chefs d'Etat et la
cooperation entre les peuples". Selon des chiffres fournis a
Nouakchott, sur 345.000 Senegalais installes en Mauritanie,
25.000 sont rentres chez eux en une semaine, tandis que 5.500
Mauritaniens vivant au Senegal, ont regagne leur pays.   (ANB-
BIA, de sources diverses, 13 juin 2000)

* Niger. Etat d'alerte  -  Les autorites nigeriennes ont ferme
toutes les frontieres du pays et place l'armee en etat d'alerte
apres l'enlevement du commandant Djibrilla Hima -- ancien porte-
parole de la junte qui a cede le pouvoir aux civils en decembre
dernier -- survenu dans la capitale meme, pres d'un bar, dans
l'enceinte d'une piscine reservee aux militaires. Les ravisseurs
ont pris la direction de la frontiere avec le Burkina Faso, a
declare le ministre de la Defense, qui a toutefois assure que
Djibrilla Hima etait le seul officier enleve. Quelques heures
plus tot, les autorites nigeriennes avaient parle d'au moins
quatre officiers kidnappes. D'ores et deja, a fait savoir le
ministre, deux officiers soupconnes de collusion avec les
ravisseurs, le commandant Samna Boube Namata et le capitaine
Adamou Djibo, ont ete arretes et conduits dans les locaux de la
gendarmerie pour interrogatoire. Djibrilla Hima est commandant
de l'escadron blinde de Niamey et ancien porte-parole du Conseil
de reconciliation nationale, qui avait pris le pouvoir apres
l'assassinat, le 9 avril 1999, du president Ibrahim Bare
Mainassara.   (D'apres Reuters, 11 juin 2000)

* Niger. Army officers arrested  -  Several Niger military
officers close to the late President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara,
killed on 9 April 1999, have been arrested following the
abduction of Maj. Djibrilla Hima, former spokesman to the
military junta which overthrew Bare, several private radios
reported on 12 June. According to the same sources, several other
people close to Bare are being sought after the release on 11
June of Hima on which the government made no comment. Among the
arrested officers are Col. Habou Oumarou, former prefect of
Zinder (east) under Bare, Lt-Col. Abdoulrahamane Saidou, former
youth and sports minister, and Lt.-Col. Soumana Zanguina, the
first chief of staff under the transition regime before he was
sacked by junta leader Maj. Daouda Mallam Wanke. Hima alias
"Pele", commander of a military unit in Niamey, was abducted on
10 June by an unidentified commando, as he was having a drink by
a pool at an officers's mess. He was detained and beaten up in
a villa in Niamey before being released on the evening of 11 June
by his captors. According to private Radio Anfani, a man was
killed during the intervention. At a news briefing on 11 June,
the ministries of defence and interior announced the arrest of
two officers, Maj. Namata Samna Boube and Capt. Djibo Adamou, in
connection with the incident. They are now in police custody as
investigations continue into the affair. Interior minister
Mahamane Manzo said at the briefing that "this is not a matter
for the state, nor for the army, but a case between individuals."
He added that co-operation between the Niger army, police and the
Republican Guard made it possible to arrest Namata and Djibo.  
(PANA, Dakar, 12 June 2000)

* Nigeria. Total Fina Elf investira 6,8 milliards  - 
TotalFinaElf va investir un milliard de dollars, soit 6,85
milliards de FF, pour financer le developpement d'un champ
petrolier offshore, au large du Nigeria. Aux termes de l'accord,
Elf Petroleum Nigeria, filiale du groupe francais, va prendre a
sa charge les frais de developpement de la compagnie publique
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation dans le champ petrolier
d'Amenam Kpono, dont elle detient 60%. Les 40% restants sont
actuellement detenus a 31,2% par Elf Petroleum Nigeria et a 8,8%
par Mobil Producing Nigeria, une filiale du geant americain Exxon
Mobil. Ce champ petrolier doit produire 500 millions de barils
de petrole sur les 25 prochaines annees.   (ANB-BIA, de sources
diverses, 9 juin 2000)

* Nigeria. Loi anti-corruption  -  Le president Obasanjo a signe
une loi qui prevoit la creation d'un conseil special charge
d'enqueter sur les accusations de corruption portees contre tout
Nigerian, y compris le president, ont rapporte les agences de
presse. M. Obasanjo a indique qu'il esperait que la loi anti-
corruption, qu'il avait presentee pour la premiere fois au
Parlement en juin 1999, permette de reduire de maniere
substantielle la "menace et le demon de la corruption" au
Nigeria, a rapporte la BBC.   (IRIN, Abidjan 13 juin 2000)

Weekly anb0615.txt - End of part 5/8