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Weekly anb09075.txt #6
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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 07-09-2000 PART #5/6
* Somalia. Boost for new President - 31 August: One of the most powerful
faction leaders in Somalia, Hussein Aideed, has said he will not forcefully
disrupt plans to install a new central government. Mr Aideed and other
faction leaders are in Yemen, where officials said Yemeni President Ali
Abdallah Salih was trying to persuade them to support the administration.
Somali's President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan is expected to leave for New
York on 1 September where he will attend the UN Millennium Summit next
week. Ultimately it will be Somalia's powerful faction leaders who
determine whether attempts to impose order in Somalia will succeed. The new
parliament and the President already have the support of the business
community and Islamic courts within the country, and much regional and
international backing. 1 September: Thousands have taken part in a rally in
the city of Baidoa to welcome the new President. Baidoa is one of the
cities worst affected by nearly a decade of fighting between the clans. It
was also hit recently by severe drought and has been referred to in the
past as "the city of death". Mr Hassan told the crowds that gathered at a
football stadium that priority would be given to the reconstruction of
Baidoa once he has put together a new administration. The President later
flew to Djibouti from where he is expected to embark on a regional tour to
garner support for his administration. He is expected in Cairo on 2
September on the first leg of his trip. 2 September: Speaking at a meeting
of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, President Hassan says Somalia
needs the Arab equivalent of the Marshall Plan in Europe at the end of the
Second World War. He describes what was happening to Somalia as "little
short of a miracle". (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 3 September 2000)
* Somalie. Demande d'aide - Le 3 septembre au Caire, au cours d'une
réunion des ministres des Affaires étrangères des pays de la Ligue arabe,
le nouveau président intérimaire somalien, M. Salat Hassan, a demandé
l'approbation d'un plan Marshall pour reconstruire son pays dévasté par une
sanglante guerre civile, soulignant qu'il fallait définir au plus tôt une
stratégie de soutien pour redonner espoir à la population. Les pays arabes
seraient en principe disposés à aider la Somalie, bien qu'ils soient
conscients que le processus de réconciliation nationale sera encore long.
En effet, les "seigneurs de guerre" s'opposent aux décisions du Parlement
de transition. (Misna, Italie, 4 septembre 2000)
* Somalia. Within the Somali "enclaves" - Both Puntland and Somaliland
have been strongly critical of the Djibouti conference and its
participants. Puntland: It has been reported that several commanders in the
Puntland region of northern Somalia were dismissed when they failed to
arrest people returning from the Djibouti conference. A weekly newspaper,
Yool, quoting sources, said the officers had been ordered to detain
returning delegates but failed to do so and became insubordinate.
Somaliland: A member of Somalia's new transitional parliament has been
arrested on his return to the northern region of Somaliland. The man,
Garaad Abshir Salah, a traditional leader from central Somaliland, was
arrested at Berbera airport on his return from Djibouti. The authorities in
Somaliland have declared it to be an independent state. (BBC News, 4
September 2000)
* Somalie. Heurts entre milices - Le 5 août, au moins 38 personnes, dont
20 civils, ont été tuées dans des combats entre milices armées de deux
sous-clans dans le sud de la Somalie. Les combats, qui ont opposé les
Galjel aux Hawadle, auraient pour origine la mort, le 27 août, de 18
personnes à la suite d'actes de brigandage répétés entre les deux
groupes. (Libération, France, 6 août 2000)
* South Africa. Conference on racism followed by an ugly reminder - 31
August: South Africa's minority whites refuse to admit their role in the
racist, apartheid regime that ruled this country for nearly 50 years,a
ruling party legislator told the conference. "Most white people say they
are not responsible for apartheid, but the (apartheid-era) Nationalist
Party was put into government by the white electorate since 1948 and
returned to power since then with an even bigger majority until the late
1980s," said Pallo Jordan, a Member of Parliament from the African National
Congress. Jordan spoke on the second day of the conference. However, many
white activists accused Jordan of unfairly dwelling on the past. Some
delegates suggested boycotts against racist businesses and urged the
gathering to address poverty and other economic issues directly related to
racism. 1 September: South Africa ushers in far-reaching legislation to
combat racism and reverse centuries of apartheid and colonial- era
injustices. The controversial Promotion of Equality and Prevention of
Unfair Discrimination Act is hailed by the Government as one of the most
important bills since Nelson Mandela led the country to democracy in 1994.
The Act ensures that no area of governance escapes the priorities of
reconstruction and the move away from racial discrimination. 4 September:
Stone-throwing crowds demand that police surrender to them a white farmer
accused of dragging a black man to death behind his truck. Farmer Pieter
Odendaal appeared briefly in a Sasolburg court on a charge of murder in
connection with the killing of Mosoko Rampuru who was found dead on his
farm late last month with a piece of wire attached to his ankle. The case
was adjourned to 28 September. Outside the court, a crowd including local
farm workers shouted at police, demanding that Odendaal be surrendered to
them. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 September 2000)
* South Africa. Building the largest telescope in the southern
hemisphere - They call it "Africa's giant eye". It will see stars a
billion times too faint for the naked aye -- equivalent to a candle flame
on the moon -- and examine objects in space more than 10 billion light
years away, recording events that occurred when the universe was only a
tenth of its present age. On 1 September, South African politicians and
scientists from around the world launched a five- year project to build the
Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) near the remote sheep farm of
Sutherland in the arid Karoo region. SALT, a $30 million project funded by
the South African government and US, UK and Polish universities and
astronomical organisations, will be the largest telescope is the southern
hemisphere, with mirrors 11 metres across, and will gather 20 times as much
light as the largest telescope in Africa today. (Financial Times, UK, 2
September 2000)
* Soudan. Eglise incendiée - Le dimanche soir vers 21h., un incendie
criminel a détruit l'église paroissiale d'Ed Daein, une localité du nord du
Soudan, située entre El Obeid et Myala. L'incident eut lieu peu après la
messe du soir, lorsque les fidèles s'étaient déjà éloignés, et les deux
prêtres soudanais sur place n'ont pu éteindre les flammes. L'église d'El
Daein avait déjà été la cible d'un attentat incendiaire le 20 août dernier.
La paroisse est située dans l'un des centres de la tribu arabe qui fournit
le plus grand nombre de soldats aux milices islamiques. (D'après Misna,
Italie, 5 septembre 2000)
* Sudan. Anger at Khartoum ban - Human rights groups and workers groups
in Sudan have strongly criticised a ban preventing women from working in
public places in Khartoum where they are in direct contact with men. The
Governor of Khartoum said the decree was intended to uphold the lofty
status of women in line with Islamic law. But the General Union of Sudanese
Women said it contravened the Constitution, which gave all citizens
equality at wok without distinction (BBC News, 6 September 2000)
* Tanzania. Tanzania quits COMESA - Tanzania has officially withdrawn
from the regional economic grouping, COMESA, the Common Market for Eastern
and Southern Africa. the government gave notice a year ago of its intention
because of concern that changes in internal tariff arrangements would harm
Tanzania. The remaining 20 members of COMESA plan to abolish the tariffs at
the end of October to create a regional free trade areas. Tanzania believes
that loss of the tariffs will hinder its industrial development. (BBC
News, 2 September 2000)
* Tunisie. Cinéastes africains à Carthage - Les 18e Journées
cinématographiques de Carthage auront lieu du 20 au 28 octobre dans la
capitale tunisienne. Outre la projection des plus récentes productions
africaines, "Carthage 2000" rendra hommage au réalisateur malien Cheick
Omar Sissako, dont le tout dernier film, La Genèse, sera présenté au cours
d'une soirée spéciale. Parmi les membres du jury, on notera la présence du
musicien sénégalais Wasis Diop et de la célèbre comédienne ivoirienne
Mariam Kaba. Présidé par le cinéaste tunisien Férid Boughedir, le
traditionnel colloque international traitera des "nouveaux rapports entre
la télévision et le cinéma à l'heure du numérique", notamment pour les pays
du Sud. (Jeune Afrique, France, 29/8-4/9 2000)
* Tunisia. To host the African nations Cup - Tunisia will host the
African Nations Cup in 2004, the Confederation of African Football (CAF)
has announced. Tunisia polled nine of the 13 votes at a CAF executive
committee meeting on 4 September. Zimbabwe won three votes and a joint bid
from Zambia and Malawi got one. Voting was carried out after the three
candidates made presentations to the committee. Tunisia will be hosting the
finals for the third time, after 1965 and 1994. None of the other
candidates have ever hosted the biennial continental championship. Tunisia
had been favourite to win, having the best bid in terms of stadia, hotel
facilities and infrastructure. (BBC News, 5 September 2000)
* Uganda. Constitution now amended - On 31 August, Parliament
overwhelmingly voted to amend the Constitution, validating the Referendum
(Political Systems) of 2000 and other laws enacted since October 1996. A
total of 224 MPs voted in favour of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill of
2000 tabled on 29 August by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister
Mayanja Nkangi. Only one unidentified MP voted against the Bill which
amended Articles 88, 89, 90, 97 and 257. Deputy Speaker Edward Ssekandi
barred Omara Atubo (Otuke) from presenting a certified copy of
Constitutional petition number 2, challenging the Referendum (Political
Systems) Act of 2000. He also stopped any comment on the case, which is
pending in the Constitutional Court. Parliament at first suspended Rule 73,
which provides for voting by secret ballot. The motion to suspend the Rule,
which was not debated, was moved by Mike Mukula (Soroti Municipality) and
passed with 182 votes against 18. Six MPs including Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu
abstained. Rule 73 provides for a secret ballot when the House is voting on
a Bill seeking to amend the Constitution or election and removal of a
person holding a Constitutional office. Under the amendments, Parliament
will determine its method of voting. It will also not be required to have a
quorum of 93 members to transact business. A quorum will only be necessary
at the time of voting. Parliament, presided over by Ssekandi, unanimously
passed an amendment moved by Ben Mutyaba (Makindye East) seeking to bar
courts from inquiring into the proceedings of the House and compelling the
Speaker, members and staff to give evidence as was the case in the recent
petition against the Referendum and Other Provisions Act of 2000. Article
257 was amended to provide that "no Act passed or purported to have been
passed by Parliament at any time after the commencement of this
Constitution shall be taken to be invalid by reason of the fact that the
Bill for the Act was not discussed and recommendations made on it to
Parliament by a standing committee." The Referendum Act is one such Act
that was never scrutinised by a standing committee. The Article was further
amended to validate laws and resolutions, passed by the House using
voice-voting that the Constitutional Court had also declared
unconstitutional. (The New Vision, Uganda, 1 September 2000)
Weekly anb0907 - End of part 5/6