Weekly anb01181.txt #8

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 18-01-2001      PART #1/8

* Africa. UN Aide Thanks Church  -  A high-ranking UN official has thanked 
the Catholic Church officially for its work in rescuing child-soldiers 
around the world. Olara Otunnu, the UN secretary-general's special 
representative for children in war, met Thursday with Archbishop Jean Louis 
Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations with states. "Today the Pope 
represents an unprecedented moral authority," Otunnu, Uganda's former 
Foreign Minister, said over Vatican Radio. "There are children and women 
who suffer because of war, and the Church is present there. In every place 
where war strikes children -- and I have visited many -- I have always 
found a missionary or priest by their side. "Because of this, I very much 
want to thank the Church for the key role she plays; and, referring to the 
Pope's role, I would also like to ask for his moral support regarding this 
problem." UNICEF reports that at least 300 boys, some younger than 10, and 
even girls, are involved in armed combat in some corner of the globe. 
Vatican Radio reported that last year alone, 46 children recruited by the 
guerrillas died in Colombia, and 146 were captured by the army. Otunnu 
noted that last year 70 countries approved a protocol committing themselves 
not to involve minors 18 or younger in armed conflicts. "Before, the limit 
was 15 years," he said. "Three countries have already ratified the 
agreement. It will be binding for all when it is ratified by 10 
states."   (ZENIT, Italy, 12 January 2001)

* Afrique. Un Sénégalais président du FIDH  -  M. Sidiki Kaba, un avocat 
sénégalais de 50 ans, a été élu président de la Fédération internationale 
des droits de l'homme (FIDH) qui a achevé, le dimanche 14 janvier, son 
congrès à Casablanca. Défenseur constant des libertés depuis vingt ans au 
Sénégal et dans plusieurs autres pays africains, M. Sidiki Kaba s'est 
notamment engagé en faveur de la loi réprimant l'excision dans son pays et 
dans les programmes de sensibilisation aux droits de l'homme en milieu 
rural. Il est le premier Africain et le premier non-Français à être élu 
président du FIDH, dont le secrétariat général est basé à 
Paris.   (Libération, France, 16 janvier 2001)

* Africa. Two Africans among recipients of Human Rights Award  -  An artist 
who uses plays, poetry and pictures to teach Kenyans about human rights and 
a youth activist on democracy and accountability in Togo have been selected 
to receive the 12th Reebok Human Rights Award. The annual award which 
recognises four people under age 30 for their efforts to promote human 
rights will be presented to William Coley and Heather Barr of the United 
States, Ndungi Githuku of Kenya, and Kodjo Djissenou of Togo at a ceremony 
on 21 March 2001 in Boston. Githuku, 27, the first artist to win the award, 
uses his talents as a playwright, graphic artist and performer to educate 
his fellow Kenyans about human rights, and mobilise them. He became an 
activist at age 19 when he joined protests in support of political 
prisoners jailed on alleged fabricated charges. Despite numerous 
incarcerations and brutal torture by the police, Githuku continues to 
express, educate and organise for change using all his many creative 
talents - from songs to poetry, cartoons and theatre. Djissenou, 24, is a 
journalist who grew up in orphanages and has been campaigning for human 
rights in Togo since age 12. He has been campaigning to educate and 
mobilise Togo's youth about human rights for most of his life. In 1994, 
Djissenou founded La Conscience, a non- governmental organisation on human 
rights and democracy. He also publishes a newspaper under the same name 
that focuses on human rights issues, written and produced entirely by young 
people. In 1998, Djissenou organised an "Election Caravan," in conjunction 
with the national elections, to educate the Togolese population on the 
importance of their vote. (Pana, Senegal, 17 January 2001)

* Africa. UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June  -  A UN General Assembly 
special session slated for 25-27 June 2001 on HIV/AIDS in New York is to 
review problems associated with the pandemic and secure a global commitment 
to combat it. According a UN release, member States are expected during the 
session to agree on a declaration that will strengthen political commitment 
and intensify efforts in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. A General 
Assembly resolution adopted 16 November 2000, recognised the importance of 
the contribution of civil society actors, including associations of people 
living with HIV/AIDS, NGOs and the business sector, in the response to the 
epidemic.As part of the preparations for the special session, governments 
will be developing and negotiating a set of commitments and priorities for 
future action in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS Executive 
Director Peter Piot was quoted as saying he looked forward to the session, 
"not for the fine words that will no doubt be produced, but for the 
tangible outcomes it will make closer."   (Pana, Senegal, 17 January 2001)

* Africa. Asked to leave Non-Aligned Movement  -  Outgoing US ambassador to 
the UN, Richard Holbrooke, has implored Africa to distance itself from the 
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which he said does not serve the interest of 
the continent. Addressing African ambassadors to the UN on Wednesday as 
part of his winding down activities at the UN, Holbrooke said NAM is an 
organisation controlled by a few radicalised nations who pursue an agenda 
that has no relevance to the interest of Africa. But an African expert at 
the UN who spoke on condition of anonymity observed that Holbrooke's 
hostility to NAM is derived from the fact that the organisation has been 
successful in projecting the interest of developing countries. Holbrooke, 
who leaves his position at the end of the week, also expressed the need for 
Africa to rethink its sense of unity under which African countries often 
support one another irrespective of the interest being served. He pointed 
out that some African leaders and institutions have often not served the 
interest of the African people. In particular, he said the OAU, which 
operated effectively during the days Africa's liberation from colonialism, 
has not been doing well lately. As he leaves office, Holbrooke said, he 
would continue to remain actively involved in African issues and often 
travel to the continent. While serving as US ambassador to the UN, 
Holbrooke said, he had learned a lot from African leaders and would 
continue to listen to them.   (PANA, Senegal, 17 January 2001)

* Africa. Africa's trade in children  -  In Africa, biting poverty has 
taken its toll on already weak health and education systems. It has eroded 
the traditional and social values that once curbed the exploitation of 
children. Child weddings and sexual exploitation of domestic help have long 
been common in sub-Sahara Africa, and middle-aged 'sugar daddies' have 
frequently provided girls with money for school fees, books or clothes. But 
the historical solidarity networks through which rural families sent their 
children to urban relatives and friends to improve their chances of 
education and employment have degenerated into money transactions - with a 
class of middlemen growing fat on the profits. Parents may be paid as 
little as £10 to lease their offspring to the Arab Gulf states, Lebanon and 
Europe. When war disrupts rural economies, children are forced onto the 
streets: in Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where 
10-year-olds are sexually exploited at military bases. In Luanda, 
'catorzinhas' - 14-year-olds - are now fashionable playthings. Even in 
peaceful regions, children are shipped to work as prostitutes in cities 
such as Douala, Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Libreville and Abidjan. Young Zairois 
are sold across the River Congo. The trade is growing in Cape Town and 
Durban, and there are though to be more than 70,000 child prostitutes in 
Zambia. In Sierra Leone, child trafficking is largely in the hands of 
Lebanese. The traffic is now growing from Africa to Europe and is treated 
almost like any other business transaction. But, until now, investigators 
have been hindered by the lack of statistical evidence with which to 
confront communities still denying the breadth of the problem. Under the 
guidance of traffickers, Somali children have been travelling without the 
necessary documents, or with false documents, and taking advantage of their 
stop-over in Switzerland to apply for asylum. This has happened several 
times at Zurich airport, involving sometimes more than 30 Somali children 
travelling in groups. Groups of children have been taken to Europe, under 
the pretext of participation in sports tournaments or, in one case, a 
public audience with the Pope. But often, traffickers who ferry children 
cannot be successfully prosecuted. Definitions of trafficking are 
inadequate and parents merely say the children were entrusted to the 
middlemen for safe passage to relatives or friends. In many countries, 
legislation against the worst forms of child labour does not exist. In the 
absence of adequate national laws and the political will, little can be 
done. They will continue unwittingly to exploit their own kin - and the 
rights of the child will remain a mere tradition.   (Ticky Monekosso, BBC 
News, UK, 18 January 2001)

* Afrique de l'Est. Communauté est-africaine  -  Le Kenya, l'Ouganda et la 
Tanzanie tentent de retrouver une unité perdue il y a 23 ans. Les 
présidents Moi, Museveni et Mkapa ont rétabli officiellement le 15 janvier 
à Arusha (Tanzanie) la Communauté d'Afrique de l'Est, une des premières 
tentatives de coopération régionale en Afrique, qui s'était soldée par un 
succès dans les années 1960. En plus du renforcement de leurs liens 
politiques, économiques, sociaux et culturels, les trois pays avaient 
accepté d'adopter un passeport commun est-africain. Cette expérience 
n'avait duré qu'un peu plus de dix ans, mais elle avait prouvé à ces pays 
qu'après un demi siècle de tutelle britannique, ils pouvaient s'unir 
eux-mêmes en tant qu'Etats indépendants. Les premiers problèmes étaient 
apparus au début des années 1970, le Kenya ayant opté pour un Etat 
capitaliste avec parti unique, alors que ses voisins s'orientaient vers le 
socialisme et un contrôle total de l'Etat sur l'économie. Maintenant que 
les trois pays sont engagés sur la voie du libéralisme économique, ils 
espèrent qu'ils vont éviter les erreurs du passé. Ils se sont donné quatre 
ans pour aboutir à une union douanière. Une éventuelle union politique 
pourrait prendre jusqu'à vingt ans. Les présidents rwandais Kagamé et 
burundais Buyoya, présents à Arusha, ont demandé l'adhésion de leurs pays à 
la Communauté. Le président tanzanien a cependant annoncé que ces deux pays 
ne seront pas admis, tant qu'ils seront en situation de conflits. (ANB-BIA, 
de sources diverses, 15 janvier 2001)

* East Africa. Ending war before joining EAC  -  Tanzanian president 
Banjamin Mkapa Monday stated that Burundi and Rwanda would not join the 
East African Community (EAC) under the prevailing war circumstances in the 
two countries. In a clear messages to authorities in the two central 
African states, Mkapa said an end to the civil strife has to be found 
before they could be admitted into the regional body officially re-launched 
on 15 January. He was speaking in Arusha, northern Tanzania, where he 
co-presided over the inauguration of the community together with presidents 
Daniel arap Moi of Kenya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. Presidents Paul 
Kagame of Rwanda and Pierre Buyoya of Burundi witnessed the historic 
occasion. OAU secretary general Salim Ahmed Salim, Zanzibari president 
Amani Abeid Karume, cabinet ministers and MPs from the three East African 
countries and representatives of the diplomatic corps were also present. 
Speaking in Kiswahili to a large crowd that attended the ceremony Mkapa, 
however, said outside intervention was necessary to help the two countries 
solve their respective civil strife. "We should therefore take steps to 
help them end those wars before welcoming them," Mkapa said.   (Pana, 
Senegal, 16 January 2001)

* East Africa. African Community reborn  -  The East African Community 
(EAC) has been launched 24 years after the economic grouping originally 
collapsed amid deep political differences. The presidents of Kenya, 
Tanzania and Uganda met in Arusha on Monday at a formal ceremony. The EAC 
aims to improve trade between the three countries by harmonising tax and 
duty regulations. It also hopes to strengthen the export bargaining power 
of the region, as it tries to compete with southern African countries. The 
remodelled EAC has been a long time coming. Its rebirth has been postponed 
several times, but on the eve of the launch, Tanzania's Vice-President, Dr 
Omar Ali Juma, warned Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda that they could not allow 
the community to collapse again. Dr Juma said the new co-operation between 
the three countries should aim to improve the lives of the people, both 
economically and politically.   (BBC News, UK, 16 January 2001)

* Algérie. Conventions avec l'UE  -  Le 13 janvier à Alger, l'Algérie et 
l'Union européenne ont signé trois conventions de financement de 30 
millions d'euros destinés à des programmes de développement des 
télécommunications, de la police et de la presse privée. Les conventions 
ont été signées par le président de la commission européenne Romano Prodi, 
en visite à Alger, et le chef du gouvernement algérien, Ali Benflis. Quant 
aux discussions sur l'accord d'association Algérie-UE, le ministre algérien 
des Affaires étrangères, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, a déclaré que son pays avait 
décidé d'accélérer le rythme des négociations. Pour sa part, M. Prodi a 
souhaité une conclusion cette année, même s'il reste beaucoup de problèmes 
en suspens. Le 7e round des négociations, prévu à la fin de ce mois, 
traitera du démantèlement tarifaire.   (D'après AP, 13 janvier 2001)

* Algérie. Nouveaux massacres  -  Le soir du 13 janvier, onze personnes, 
membres de deux familles, ont été assassinées par des groupes armés dans 
les régions de Médéa (70 km au sud d'Alger) et de Laghouat (400 km au sud 
d'Alger). Lors de la première attaque, 4 personnes appartenant à une même 
famille, parmi lesquelles un bébé de 14 mois, ont été tuées et trois autres 
personnes blessées, indique le quotidien Liberté. A Médéa, c'est une 
famille habitant un taudis à Haï El Ketab qui a été massacrée par un groupe 
armé, selon El Watan, qui précise que les 7 membres de la famille, dont 4 
enfants en bas âge, ont été passés à l'arme blanche avant d'être 
mitraillés. Le 15 janvier, cinq personnes, dont un enfant de 10 ans, ont 
encore été tuées et trois autres blessées par un groupe armé à Tamesguida, 
près de Médéa, a rapporté la presse algérienne. Depuis le début de l'année, 
ce sont près de 80 personnes qui ont été tuées dans des violences en 
Algérie. - Dans la nuit du 16 janvier, douze personnes ont été assassinées 
dans un faux barrage dressé par des islamistes armés à Haï-Raïhane, près de 
Khemis Miliana, à 130 km à l'ouest d'Alger.   (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 18 janvier 2001)

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