Weekly anb12073.txt #6

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 07-12-2000      PART #3/6

* Eritrea-Ethiopia. Peace treaty to be signed  -  Eritrea and Ethiopia will 
sign a peace treaty on 12 December in Algiers, bringing to an end their 
two-year border conflict that has cost hundreds of millions of dollars and 
tens of thousands of lives. The Eritrean Foreign Ministry has confirmed the 
peace agreement saying it is the result of several meetings and 
consultations in Washington and Algiers and shuttle diplomacy by Algerian 
and US envoys. The UN Secretary-General hails the peace treaty as: "A 
positive story for Africa which ends this year with a story of 
peace".   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 7 December 2000)

* Erythrée/Ethiopie. Accord de paix  -  L'Erythrée a annoncé avoir conclu 
un accord de paix avec l'Ethiopie, qui sera signé le 12 décembre à Alger 
par les présidents des deux pays. Après la signature de cessez-le-feu de 
juin dernier, cet accord de paix mettra officiellement fin à une guerre de 
deux ans qui a fait des dizaines de milliers de morts. Selon la BBC, il a 
été convenu qu'une commission spéciale fixera à nouveau la frontière 
contestée. L'Ethiopie n'a pas encore réagi officiellement.   (D'après De 
Standaard, Belgique, 5 décembre 2000)

* Ghana. J. Rawlings: fin de règne?  -  Jeudi 7 décembre, les Ghanéens 
iront aux urnes et tourneront la page Rawlings qui, après 19 ans de 
présidence, s'apprête à céder volontairement le pouvoir: démarche encore 
rare en Afrique. Cet ancien putschiste, qui s'était fait élire 
démocratiquement il y a huit ans, ne peut en effet, selon la Constitution, 
briguer un troisième mandat. Jerry Rawlings, 53 ans, se déclare prêt à 
quitter le pouvoir de son plein gré au terme de son mandat. Mais, si John 
Atta Mills, actuel vice-président, candidat du Congrès national 
démocratique (NDC au pouvoir), remportait l'élection, la rumeur prêteà 
Rawlings l'intention de continuer à tirer les ficelles du pays, en tant que 
président à vie du NDC. Sept partis sont dans la course, mais la menace la 
plus sérieuse pour le NDC vient du principal parti d'opposition, le Nouveau 
parti patriotique (NPP), dont le candidat, John Kufuor, n'avait perdu 
contre Rawlings que de 488.000 voix en 1996. A l'approche du scrutin, 
l'excitation s'est changée en appréhension, des inquiétudes se faisant jour 
quant à d'éventuelles tricheries ou violences. L'opposition conteste la 
décision de la Cour suprême d'autoriser l'utilisation par les électeurs 
d'anciennes pièces d'identité qui ne comportent qu'une empreinte digitale 
et pas de photo. Le NPP et trois petites formations ghanéennes ont 
toutefois exclu tout boycottage des scrutins législatifs et présidentiel. 
(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 décembre 2000)

* Ghana. Lead-up to elections  -  30 November: The main candidates in 
Ghana's 7 December presidential election failed to turn up for a televised 
debate billed as a highlight of the campaign. Vice-President John Atta 
Mills, and John Kufuor, his main opposition challenger, were among four of 
the seven candidates who shunned the debate. Figures released by three 
senior lecturers of the School of Communication Studies, at the University 
of Ghana, indicate: "President J.A. Kufuor is a name which 52.1% of 
subjects of a "scientific poll" will like to have on their lips from 7 
December onwards". 4 December: The Supreme Court has ruled that thumb print 
voter identity cards will be valid in the election. The main opposition New 
Patriotic Party (NPP) had argued that use of thumb print identity cards 
would enable the ruling party to rig the election. President Rawlings 
reaffirms that he will stand down after tomorrow's general elections. 7 
December: Presidential and parliamentary elections.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 7 
December 2000)

* Guinea. Hundreds killed in attack  -  Aid workers in Guinea say hundreds 
of people have been killed in a rebel raid on a town near the border with 
Sierra Leone and Liberia. A Red Cross official in the town, Gueckedou, told 
the BBC that rebels attacked in force early on 6 December and were only 
driven out by Guinean troops after almost twenty-four hours. The official, 
Umar Issa Damagaram, also said more than 1000 people were wounded and many 
homes burned. The Guinean Government has put the number killed at 360. It 
accuses Liberia and Sierra Leonean rebels of being behind a series of 
recent cross-border attacks into Guinea. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says 
one of its key regional centres was destroyed in the fighting in Gueckedou. 
The attack was the first time rebels had entered a major town after three 
months of attacks on villages in the south and east of the country. A 
military source told a correspondent for the BBC in Guinea, Al Hassan 
Cillah, that it was the biggest battle the army had fought with insurgents 
since September. Military and humanitarian sources confirmed government 
troops regained control of the town after it had been occupied for several 
hours. But during that time the rebels had burnt public buildings, business 
premises, vehicles and cut down telephone lines. Humanitarian sources, 
quoting witnesses in the town, said bodies littered the streets. Thousands 
of civilians have fled into the bush. Gueckedou town is strategically 
located between the capital Conakry and the forest region, source of most 
of the country's agricultural products. The UNHCR chief, Sadako Ogata, says 
the region is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe.   (BBC News, 7 
December 2000)

* Guinée-Bissau. Mort du général Mané  -  Le général rebelle Ansumane Mané, 
ancien héros de la lutte nationale contre le Portugal, a été tué le 30 
novembre au cours d'une fusillade avec l'armée loyaliste près de Quinhamel, 
à 40 km au nord-ouest de Bissau, a annoncé la télévision portugaise RTP. Le 
20 novembre, le général Mané s'était autoproclamé chef des forces armées, 
en toute illégalité. Mais, alors qu'on s'attendait à une confrontation 
entre ses troupes et les forces loyalistes, il s'était enfui avec ses 
hommes le 23 novembre sans livrer combat.   (La Libre Belgique, 1er 
décembre 2000)

* Guinea-Bissau. Rebel general "shot-dead"  -  30 November: Prime Minister 
Caetano Intchame says that General Mane and several of his supporters were 
cornered by the army. The rebel general and three others were killed and 
two fled. The government's claim has not been independently confirmed. 
Reporting from Bissau, a Portuguese TV correspondent says General Mane was 
shot in the neck in a clash with loyalist troops near the town of 
Quinhamel, 30 km north of the city. It should be noted that the same day, 
Guinea- Bissau's internal administration minister formally denies rumours 
that General Mane has been killed. 1 December: General Mane's death is 
confirmed by the foreign affairs minister.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 4 December 
2000)

* Kenya. Désordres à la périphérie de Nairobi  -  Les 30 novembre et 1er 
décembre, une dispute pour un terrain a provoqué de graves désordres à la 
périphérie de Nairobi. Les troubles ont commencé le 30 novembre, dans le 
bidonville de Mukuru Fuata Nyayo, non loin du quartier South B. Des jeunes 
musulmans ont mis le feu aux étals de commerçants locaux, prétendant que le 
terrain appartenait à leur mosquée. En représailles, les commerçants ont 
incendié la mosquée et une bataille rangée s'en est suivie, où bon nombre 
de maisons ont également été mises à sac. On parle de 4 morts. Selon 
l'agence Misna, une église adventiste et une autre de l'Armée du salut ont 
également été incendiées. "C'est une guerre entre pauvres, a commenté un 
missionnaire combonien. Quand le désespoir de ces personnes augmente de 
jour en jour, il suffit d'un rien pour faire éclater la colère". Le 1er 
décembre les émeutes ont continué. La police a employé des gaz lacrymogènes 
mais n'est pas arrivée à contrôler la situation. Au début de l'après- midi, 
des jeunes musulmans ont entièrement détruit une église catholique dans le 
quartier South B, en représailles contre l'incendie de la mosquée, selon le 
curé, G. Smith, un missionnaire Père Blanc. Dans la soirée, l'agitation 
continuait, des musulmans jetant des pierres sur des passants et des 
voitures. A la TV, le p. Smith a souligné qu'il ne s'agissait pas d'un 
conflit religieux et que les chrétiens ne cherchaient pas vengeance, une 
affirmation reprise par tous les médias et également par d'autres 
responsables religieux, tant chrétiens que musulmans. Des leaders musulmans 
ont présenté leurs excuses dans la presse et à la radio.   (ANB-BIA, de 
sources diverses, 2 décembre 2000)

* Kenya. Queen of Peace parish church destroyed by mob  -  One of the two 
parishes run by the Missionaries of Africa in Nairobi was attacked on 1 
December by hundreds of rioting Muslim youths. They broke into the 
compound, smashed windows in all buildings and set fire to the church with 
petrol bombs. the beautiful church burned down completely. Only the walls 
remain standing. The fie did not spread to the other nearby buildings. The 
three missionaries in residence were not hurt. They spent the night under 
police protection. The trouble started the day before in the nearby 
shopping centre of Nairobi South B, when traders near the mosque had their 
kiosks burned down by Muslim youth. The Mosque had given them eviction 
orders claiming the land belonged to the Mosque. In retaliation, the angry 
traders burned down the Mosque. The youth called in reinforcements from 
Muslim communities in other parts of the town and street battles ensured 
between the Muslim youth and the traders. The Muslim youth threatened to 
burn a church in revenge. The parish priest of Our Lady Queen of Peace 
stressed this was not a religious conflict and that as Christians "we do 
not seek revenge". Other religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim, 
stressed this is not a religious problem. On the Sunday following the 
attack, Masses took place as usual outside and in the parish hall. Muslim 
leaders have apologised for this sad event, both in the Press and over the 
radio. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 4 December 2000)

* Kenya. Clash-torn border area  -  Over 25,000 people have fled the Wajir 
area of northern Kenya as fears of further attacks from Ethiopian 
militiamen mounted Monday, The People Daily newspaper reported on 5 
December. Kenyans living along the Kenya-Ethiopia border areas of Dugo, 
Ogomdi and Qudama have been fleeing to Bute and Ajawa, further inland, 
since the militiamen of Tabaqa origin attacked the area at the weekend, 
killing 11 people and wounding scores of others. Two militiamen also 
perished in the attack. The animosity between the Garre and Ajuran clans of 
southern Ethiopia has spilt over into Kenya in the last year with hundreds 
of Kenyans so far killed. Abdullahi Amin, the Wajir County Council 
chairman, confirmed the exodus and said information reaching the town 
Monday had indicated that another raid was in the offing. He said top 
leaders from the Garre community in Kenya had hatched a plot in 
collaboration with their Ethiopian counterparts to attack all the trading 
centres along the border. He accused an unidentified former assistant 
minister from the Garre community, of leading a delegation into the 
Ethiopian town of Gadaduma, which is inhabited by mainly the Garre, to map 
out strategies for the new raid. The civic leader criticised the government 
for doing nothing about the constant attacks by the militiamen. "Our 
persistent call to have the residents supplied with home guards has fallen 
on deaf ears as the top-ranking security chiefs have been compromised to 
frustrate such efforts," he said.   (Tervil Okoko, PANA, 5 December 2000)

* Kenya/Ethiopie. Violences  -  Plus de 25.000 personnes ont fui la zone de 
Wajir, au nord du Kenya, par crainte de nouvelles attaques de miliciens 
éthiopiens. Des miliciens d'origine Tabaga ont lancé ce week-end des 
offensives contre la zone, tuant 11 personnes; deux miliciens ont aussi 
péri dans l'attaque. L'animosité entre les clans Garre et Ajuran du sud de 
l'Ethiopie a débordé jusqu'au Kenya l'année dernière, faisant jusqu'ici des 
centaines de tués kényans. Les autorités de Nairobi soutiennent que les 
miliciens appartiennent à l'armée éthiopienne et l'administrateur kényan de 
la province frontalière du nord-est a également accusé les miliciens 
éthiopiens d'être mêlés aux attaques. L'ambassade éthiopienne à Nairobi a 
indiqué que "L'Ethiopie n'a jamais violé le territoire kényan et n'a rien à 
voir avec ces violences".   (PANA, 6-7 décembre 2000)

* Kenya. War on banks  -  30 November: The Kenyan parliament has passed a 
controversial bill which seeks to control the interest rates charged by 
banks. The bill pegs interest rates charged by the commercial banks to 3% 
above the rates fixed by the central bank. MP Joe Donde who moved the 
motion, said that many companies have gone out of business because of 
crippling high interest rates set by greedy commercial banks over the past 
two years. 6 December: Kenya's banking sector has begun a profound 
reassessment of its future after the country's parliament passed a bill 
capping lending and deposit rates, and established a Monetary Policy 
Committee to determine Treasury bill rates. The bill, which needs only 
presidential assent to become law, will from next year set a maximum 
lending rate of 4 percentage points above 91-day T-bill rates, and a 
minimum deposit rate of 70 per cent of T-bill rates, currently at 12.5 per 
cent. Total interest payments on any loan should not be allowed to exceed 
the principal, loans may not be guaranteed by a company's director, and 
banks may not impose extra charges on loans other than legal and valuation 
fees. "It is worse than I originally thought; things have crept in which 
shouldn't be there," said Isaac Awuondo, head of the Kenya Bankers' 
Association. "From a business standpoint, it's a sad day for this country." 
The bill had massive popular support from ordinary Kenyans, who felt they 
were being charged exorbitant lending rates and complained that margins 
between deposit and loan rates were obscene. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 7 December 
2000)

Weekly anb1207.txt - End of part 3/6