Corr.: Weekly anb03017.txt #7

[anb-bia <anb-bia@village.uunet.be>]

_____________________________________________________________
WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 01-03-2001  PART #7/7

* Western Sahara. Forgotten conflict turns 25 - For 25 years, international 
efforts have been made to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara. Morocco 
controls most of the territory and lays claim to it, but supporters of the 
pro- independence movement, the Polisario Front, have not given up their 
campaign. 25 years ago, the Polisario Front set up a government-in-exile 
and vowed to continue its guerrilla war. The fighting with Morocco stopped 
in 1991, but the dispute over Western Sahara lingers on. (ANB-BIA, 
Brussels, 27 February 2001)

* Western Sahara. Sahara refugees' long wait - At first light, the only 
sound echoing across the Sahawari refugee camps in Algeria is the fierce 
desert wind gusting against the canvas tents. The horizon vanishes in a 
haze of sand. The ubiquitous black, white, green and red flags of the 
Sahawari Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) flutter from their masts. This is 
one of the harshest and most inhospitable environments on Earth, yet more 
than 150,000 people have had to live here for the past 25 years, while 
dreaming of independence for their homeland, the disputed territory of 
Western Sahara. Metou Mustafa is a symbol of the struggle. She was born in 
the refugee camps 25 years ago and has known no other life. "I have never 
seen my country. I listen to people describing it as a beautiful place full 
of rich customs, but I have been deprived of this," Metou says. "Living 
here in the Algerian desert has become routine, but it is also very hard. 
What keeps us going day after day and year after year, is the hope of 
eventually returning to Western Sahara." The refugees are almost entirely 
dependent upon aid for their survival. Food is imported and the four huge 
camps near Tindouf do not even have adequate local water supplies. Tankers 
ferry water continually. The mud-brick homes that have been built convey an 
air of permanence, but even after 25 years, some refugees still live in 
tents. "The tents are maintained to give our people the sense that we are 
not going to be here forever," explains Brahim Moktar, a Polisario 
spokesman. Visitors to the Sahawari refugee camps are overwhelmed by the 
conditions. In summer, temperatures are said to reach 50º C. (BBC News, 1 
March 2001)

* Zambia. Bus painting provokes anger - The public transport services in 
Zambia have reluctantly started painting their bus and taxi fleet blue and 
white, after being ordered to do so by the Zambian Transport Minister. The 
bus painting exercise is fondly being called "Luo Blue" in reference to 
Transport Minister Nkandu Luo, who has pledged to "improve sanity in the 
industry". The United Transport and Taxis Association (UTTA) said the bus 
painting exercise was underway, but most UTTA members still insist that 
though they had complied with the government bus painting law, it was 
passed without consulting them.They said that government's imposition of 
the law amounted to the worst form of dictatorship. Mr Bwalya Chupa, a UTTA 
member said that the law which was intended to bring "sanity" to the 
transport system would only be a waste of resources. "I cannot understand 
why the government could dictate to us that we paint buses which we bought 
using our own money," said a visibly annoyed Mr Chupa. And he added: "If 
they think it is good to have a uniform colour, why don't they paint all 
the government vehicles in blue and white so that they lead by example." 
The taxi owners and bus drivers are also worried that the value of their 
vehicles will depreciate. The UTTA said that such dictatorial behaviour by 
the government could cost them a lot of votes in this year's presidential 
and general elections. Some commuters also said that while the bus painting 
exercise made the buses look the same, they would have much preferred it if 
the busses had been repaired before being smeared with a coat of paint. 
(BBC News, 23 February 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Human rights concerns - 20 February: A senior Zimbabwean 
Foreign Affairs Ministry official says the Zimbabwean authorities have 
assured South Africa that the expulsion of two foreign journalists is not a 
breach of press freedom. 22 February: During the week of 26 February, 
Parliament will discuss the bombing of The Daily News, attacks on 
journalists and the need for the government to free the airwaves before the 
presidential election. 23 February: European Union member states will seek 
a formal political "dialogue" over human rights with Zimbabwe, in a first 
mark of disapproval for the Harare government's expulsion of foreign 
journalists and its disregard for the country's judiciary. Zimbabwe will be 
discussed by foreign ministers informally over lunch during the 26 February 
meeting of the EU's general affairs council in Brussels, a procedure that 
precludes formal decisions. But according to Brussels-based diplomats, 
there is already agreement to use article eight of the Cotonou agreement 
governing the EU's relations with its partners in the African, Pacific and 
Caribbean regions as a warning to Zimbabwe. Article eight provides for a 
dialogue between the two sides over issues of concern to the EU, including 
human rights. Robin Cook, the UK foreign secretary, who has put Zimbabwe on 
the lunchtime menu, is also expected to suggest moving to tougher action 
under article 96, which would allow the EU to suspend aid, if the Zimbabwe 
government does not respond to the EU's request for talks. Diplomats 
acknowledge that article eight is a weak instrument to show the EU's 
distaste for President Robert Mugabe's government. Zimbabwe cannot be 
compelled to take part in the talks, and the discussions, if they take 
place, would be confidential. But article eight also contains a three-month 
deadline for completion of the dialogue after which pressure for sanctions 
could grow. However, EU aid to Zimbabwe is running at only about E10m 
($9.2m) a year and is focused on health projects, such as combating HIV, 
and finances no infrastructure development. 25 February: South Africa's 
President Mbeki says he will meet with President Mugabe to discuss recent 
attacks on Zimbabwe's judiciary and Press, which he calls "matters of 
serious concern". President Mbeki says: "We have agreed with President 
Mugabe that we need to get together quite quickly to have a look at all 
these issues". 27 February: The Government has ordered Chief Justice Gubbay 
to leave his job on 1 March, several months before he had reportedly agreed 
to do so anyway under heavy pressure. 28 February: The Chief Justice 
rejects the Government's ultimatum to give up his job and move out of his 
official residence. 1 March: The Chief Justice defies government orders to 
stand down and arrives for work as usual. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 1 March 2001)


Weekly - anb0301.txt - End of #7/7

THE END



*******************************************************************
Un homme meurt chaque fois que l'un d'entre nous se tait devant la tyrannie 
(W. Soyinka, Prix Nobel litterature)
                      --------
Everytime somebody keep silent when faced with tyranny, someone else dies 
(Wole Syinka, Nobel Prize for Literature) *
*******************************************************************
AFRICAN NEWS BULLETIN - BULLETIN D'INFORMATION AFRICAINE
A fornigtly publication of African news and information
Bi-mensuel d'information et actualite africaine
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We hope you find our WEEKLY NEWS informative and helpful. But maybe you 
don't know our printed
AFRICAN NEWS BULLETIN/BULLETIN D'INFORMATION AFRICAIN?
For further information and informed comment about Africa, YOU NEED TO READ 
IT - Why not send for a FREE COPY and Subscription Details from our address 
on: <anb-bia@village.uunet.be> ?

Trouvez-vous nos "WEEKLY NEWS" interessantes et utiles? Mais peut-etre vous 
ne connaissez pas notre publication
BULLETIN D'INFORMATION AFRICAINE / AFRICAN NEWS BULLETIN?
Il s'agit d'UN INSTRUMENT INDISPENSABLE pour mieux comprendre et mieux 
connaitre l'actualite africaine. - Pour recevoir une copie gratuite et plus 
de renseignements pour un abonnement envoyez-nous un simple E-mail avec 
votre requete et votre adresse postale.

**********************************************************************
Greetings from: ANB-BIA, Av. Charles Woeste 184,B-1090, Brussel, Belgium
Ph.: 32-2 420.34.36-Fax: 32-2 420.05.49 - <anb-bia@village.uunet.be>
WWW:  http://www.peacelink.it/anb-bia/anb-bia.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------