Corr. - Weekly anb03011.txt #7

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

Par erreur, hier soir nous vous avons envoyé des Weekly News plutôt 
dépassées... - Veuillez trouver ci-dessous celles qui auraient dû partir 
hier soir... - avec toutes nos excuses!

By mistake, yesterday we sent you an old Weekly News. Here below is the 
correct Weekly News. Please accept our apologies.

PAolo
__________


ANB-BIA - Av. Charles Woeste 184 - 1090 Bruxelles - Belg
TEL **.32.2/420 34 36 fax /420 05 49 E-Mail: anb-bia@village.uunet.be
_____________________________________________________________
WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 01-03-2001  PART #1/7

* Afrique. Commissions des droits de l'homme - Le développement rapide des 
commissions gouvernementales des droits de l'homme à travers l'Afrique n'a 
généralement pas conduit à une meilleure protection des droits humains. 
C'est ce qui ressort d'une nouvelle étude de Human Rights Watch, parue le 
22 février. La moitié des pays africains disposent aujourd'hui d'une 
commission des droits de l'homme, alors qu'un seul pays (le Togo) se 
trouvait dans ce cas en 1989. Néanmoins, bon nombre de ces commissions 
semblent avoir été créées pour détourner les critiques de la communauté 
internationale plutôt que pour s'attaquer aux atteintes aux droits humains. 
Les commissions du Ghana, d'Afrique du Sud et de l'Ouganda échappent 
toutefois à cette tendance générale. Les bailleurs de fonds internationaux 
et les Nations unies encouragent activement la création de ces nouvelles 
institutions publiques. Mais, selon HRW, ces donateurs ne prévoient souvent 
aucun suivi pour s'assurer que les commissions oeuvrent effectivement pour 
protéger les victimes et combattre les atteintes aux droits humains. 
Toutefois, selon HRW, les facteurs les plus importants sont le courage et 
l'intégrité des membres de ces commissions. (Human Rights Watch, New York, 
22 février 2001)

* Africa. Human Rights - The "Country reports on Human Rights Practices" 
for the calendar year 2000 issued by the US Department of State is now 
available online: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/ (Infodoc, 
Belgium, 27 February 2001)

* Africa. Prescription for a healthy Africa - It was while pondering the 
virtues of McDonald's French fries that Scott Hillstrom, founder of Cry for 
the World Foundation (CFW), saw the future of cheap drugs distribution to 
Africa's poor. Today, the organisation has set up 11 micro-pharmacy 
franchises in central Kenya. By next year, it expects to have 60 in place. 
CFW already feels confident that with the right technical support -- paid 
for by the franchisees -- it is feasible to distribute drugs cheaply to 
rural Africans, without the need for foreign aid. "It was in New Zealand 
that the idea to use franchise principles to distribute essential drugs 
occurred to me," explains Mr Hillstrom, a US-based lawyer who runs HCA 
enterprises, a business development company. "Most top-down approaches have 
failed because they create counter-productive incentives --encouraging 
people to divert drugs to unauthorised uses, to charge exploitative prices 
and to sell ineffective, adulterated or bogus drugs." After conversations 
with Bruce Davis, a McDonald's franchisee in New Zealand, and Steve 
Collins, the founder of Harcourts, a successful Australasian chain of 
franchise estate agents, he felt he had the answer. If he could establish a 
low-end pharmacy chain sustained by commercial profit -- but with clear and 
strict rules on how drugs should be distributed -- essential medicines 
might become as readily available to rural Africans as the Big Mac is to 
people in the developed world. It is crucial work. Across the world, 25,000 
children die every day for want of medicine "that costs less than a cup of 
coffee", explains Mr Hillstrom. To build its franchise network, CFW tapped 
into an existing system of community health workers who had been abandoned 
after donors had withdrawn their funding. It gave them new training and 
encouraged them to set up small shops under strict guidelines, such as 
keeping clear records. Eighty per cent of the cost was covered by a micro- 
loan, repayable at 18 per cent interest. The other 20 per cent came from 
equity raised by the owners. CFW is in charge of procurement. (Financial 
Times, UK, 23 February 2001)

* Africa. "Stopping the torture trade" - Amnesty International's report, 
"Stopping The Torture Trade", reveals that the international trade in high 
voltage electro-shock batons, shields, stun guns and stun belts, has been 
expanding through out the 1990s. This includes "tasers", which can shoot 
"fishhook" darts on wires into victims up to 30 feet away, and stun belts, 
which are strapped to prisoners and operated by remote control devices. 
This technology began in the USA, and has spread to Asia, Europe and South 
Africa...The South African government is now actively promoting the sale of 
electro-shock belts in Asia, as well as using them on prisoners at 
home...Between 1997 and March 2000, the USA approved the export to Egypt of 
shock batons, stun guns and optical sighting devices valued at more than 
$40,000....A British company, Pains-Wessex, made tear gas grenades used on 
peaceful demonstrators in Zambia in 1997. Despite this, the UK Government's 
most recent annual report on arms exports reveals that in 1999, the UK 
granted licences for the export of CS grenades and tear gas/irritant 
ammunition to Zambia...Amnesty International's report also cites French 
security training used in Togo for torture and intimidation of the civilian 
population. (Amnesty International, 26 February 2001)

* Afrique. FMI et Banque mondiale - Après leur rencontre avec les 
dirigeants de l'Afrique de l'Ouest à Bamako, les dirigeants du FMI et de la 
Banque mondiale, Kohler et Wolfensohn, sont arrivés le 22 février à Dar 
es-Salaam (Tanzanie) pour une réunion de deux jours avec les dirigeants de 
la Tanzanie, du Rwanda, de l'Ethiopie, de l'Erythrée, du Malawi, de la 
Zambie, du Zimbabwe, du Mozambique, du Botswana, de l'Ouganda et du Kenya. 
Selon le communiqué final, le 24 février, les dirigeants africains se sont 
engagés à mener des efforts en faveur de la bonne gouvernance, de la paix 
et de la stabilité, et pour une accélération régulière de la croissance. 
Les participants ont appelé d'une seule voix les pays développés à ouvrir 
leurs marchés aux exportations africaines. Concernant la dette, dont de 
nombreuses voix en Afrique et en Occident demandent l'annulation, Kohler et 
Wolfensohn ont appelé les pays africains à une "approche équilibrée". - Le 
26 février à Londres, M. Wolfensohn a exhorté les pays riches à ouvrir 
leurs marchés aux produits d'exportation des pays en développement et à 
honorer leur engagement de consacrer 0,7% de leur PIB annuel à l'aide. M. 
Wolfensohn a insisté sur la forte baisse de l'aide en direction de 
l'Afrique; celle-ci est passée de 32 dollars par habitant en 1990, à 
environ 19 dollars en 1998. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22-27 février 2001)

* Africa. IMF puts Africa at heart of work - Horst Köhler, the managing 
director of the International Monetary Fund, has said that poor African 
countries would remain central to the work of the IMF. Following last 
week's joint trip to Africa with James Wolfensohn, the World Bank's 
president, Mr Kohler said that economic regeneration and moves towards 
eliminating corruption in the continent should be backed by the west. "It 
is a big political mistake to say the IMF is only for capital markets and 
developed countries," Mr Köhler told the Financial Times. "We cannot 
exclude the poor from IMF help." The statement marked a clear and lasting 
commitment from Mr Köhler. Many believed he would be less involved in the 
development of poor countries than Michel Camdessus, his predecessor as 
head of the fund. Mr Köhler said that in return for cleaner government and 
better policymaking from African countries, the fund should take up their 
cause in international debates. He said the IMF must not be seen as a 
creature of the Group of Seven rich nations. "We need institutions that 
look beyond narrow national interests to a global policy context," he said. 
On the issue of trade access, Mr Kohler said the variety of countries 
within the continent, with different trade rights, meant it had failed to 
speak with one voice in trade negotiations. "Africa needs to negotiate 
collectively in the World Trade Organisation and we back the World Bank in 
providing technical support," he said. "Access to markets is the single 
most important thing for Africa." The fund has been criticised for turning 
a blind eye to mismanagement in Africa and to grandiose projects such as 
the Nigerian government's recent decision to build a $300m football stadium 
rather than spend the money on health and education. But Mr Köhler said he 
backed the Millennium Programme for the Renaissance of Africa - - the 
development plan drawn up by the presidents of Nigeria, South Africa and 
Algeria -- and said it was essential to remain engaged. (Financial Times, 
UK, 27 February 2001)

* Africa. Action against the Media - West Africa: On 26 February, the West 
African Journalists Association said it is worried by the increasing trend 
of censorship of the media in the West African sub-region. Equatorial 
Guinea: In a letter to the Information Minister (26 February), Reporters 
sans Frontières asked for information on the exact reasons for the closure 
of the Equatorial Guinea Press Association. Tunisia: On 26 February, the 
Professional Federation of Quebec Journalists stated it is very concerned 
about the increasingly serious attacks on press freedom in Tunisia. 
Zimbabwe: On 26 February, The Daily News reported that foreign journalists 
working in Zimbabwe have vowed to stay in the country despite a government 
onslaught that has already seen two journalists deported. (ANB-BIA, 
Brussels, 27 February 2001)

* Afrique. Union africaine - Syrte II - Les 1 et 2 mars, les dirigeants 
africains se retrouveront pour un nouveau sommet à Syrte, en Libye, où en 
septembre 1999 a été élaboré l'Acte constitutif de l'Union africaine. Cet 
Acte a été adopté en juillet 2000 par le sommet de l'OUA à Lomé, et depuis 
lors, 44 des 53 Etats membres de l'OUA l'ont signé. On en attend la 
ratification. Le sommet de Syrte II a été préparé ces derniers jours par 
une réunion des ministres des Affaires étrangères. Certains ont plaidé pour 
que l'Union ne se fasse pas dans la précipitation, mais en plusieurs 
étapes. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 28 février 2001)

* West Africa. "Mercenaries" in West Africa's war - Combat pilots from 
Ukraine, South Africa and France are active in West Africa's border wars. 
Although there are some local pilots, West African governments often find 
it more effective to use foreign soldiers, sometimes referred to as 
mercenaries. For example, Guinea's powerful attack helicopters are usually 
flown by Ukrainians. This was confirmed to me recently by a senior 
government official in Guinea. A report by the US- based human-rights 
group, Human Rights Watch, recently condemned a series of attacks from 
Guinea on Sierra Leone using these helicopter over the past few months 
which have killed dozens of civilians, including children. The helicopter 
attacks on areas of Sierra Leone held by Sierra Leonean rebels were 
apparently aimed at stopping these rebels making incursions into Guinea. On 
the other side of the border, it's no secret that the Sierra Leone 
government employs South African pilots to fly Russian-built attack 
helicopters maintained by Ethiopian engineers. Until recently, Sierra Leone 
also employed French pilots and gunners. Liberia, which is deeply involved 
in West Africa's border wars, has been accused by the United Nations of 
using South African, Ukrainian and Libyan trainers, in contravention of UN 
arms embargoes. Some of the foreign soldiers fighting in West Africa are 
known to be motivated by a belief in their cause, but most of them are 
motivated by money generated by the region's diamond wealth. (BBC News, 28 
February 2001)

* Algeria. Media warned - The Algerian Government has hit back against what 
it calls a well-orchestrated media campaign conspiring to re-open the 
wounds of the civil war. Culture and Communications Minister Mahieddine 
Amimour spoke at length on the matter on Algerian TV's Spotlight programme. 
His remarks were given wide prominence as lead items in the Algerian 
domestic news bulletins and re-broadcast at length the following day. 
Enemies are pouring oil over the fire," Mr Amimour said, pointing to 
growing media hostility in France over human rights issues in Algeria, 
triggered by an ex-Algerian army officer's published story. The concern has 
been cautiously noted in the Algerian press, wary of inflaming the 
authorities' anger. Earlier this month, on the eve of a visit by Foreign 
Minister Hubert Vedrine, a group of respected French and Algerian 
intellectuals urged France to review its policy towards Algeria. They cited 
ex-army officer Habib Souaidia, whose book "The Dirty War" published in 
France, alleges the army's involvement in torture and killings. Mr Souaidia 
appeared extensively on French TV to repeat his testimony, at the time of 
Mr Vedrine's visit. The campaign was picked up and widely covered by the 
French press and television and has now found its way into some Algerian 
newspapers. But in his broadcast statement, Mr Amimour warned: "False 
heroes are being created, and organised and well-orchestrated campaigns are 
being launched to target in a malicious way all the noble things in this 
homeland." (BBC News, 24 February 2001)

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