Weekly anb03234.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 23-03-2000      PART #4/7

* Equatorial Guinea. Ethnic Bubi prisoners face uncertain future  -   In a Press release dated 20 March, Amnesty International says the transfer of some 50 ethnic Bubi prisoners from Malabo, the capital, to an unknown destination, is likely to further their physical and mental well-being, which in some cases is already critical. The prisoners, including many prisoners of conscience, -- who were detained at the beginning of 19998 and sentenced to prison terms in May after an unfair military trial for alleged involvement in attacks on government military barracks -- were transferred by boat, on 3 March 2000, from their prison in Malabo, on Biolo Island, to the continental region of the country. No official confirmation of their whereabouts has yet been given but eyewitnesses are reported to have seen them in Evinayong prison, some 500 kilometres east of Malabo.   (Amnesty International, 20 March 2000)

* Kenya. Famine dans le nord  -  Ces 4 dernieres semaines, des centaines de personnes sont mortes de faim dans le district desertique de Wajir (nord du Kenya), frontalier avec la Somalie, rapportent les journaux kenyans le 20 mars. L'administration locale parle de 85 morts, mais reconnait qu'il est difficile d'etablir un bilan exact des victimes a cause du nomadisme des eleveurs. Des centaines de tetes de betail ont aussi ete decimees. Le depute de Wajir, M. Keynan, a demande au gouvernement de declarer le district zone sinistree pour permettre aux agences humanitaires d'y envoyer une aide alimentaire d'urgence.   (D'apres PANA, 20 mars 2000)

* Kenya. "Life-threatening issues facing Africa".  -  21 March: Life-threatening issues facing Africa, as well as signs of hope on the Continent, are the focus of a joint meeting of African members of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and General Committee members of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC). The meeting, held in Nairobi 20-21 March, is the first of its kind, and was planned jointly by the AACC and the WCC Africa Task Force. 22 March: The meeting ends with a strong commitment to work closely in the future. The more than 50 delegates identified the following priority issues for joint future attention from the two ecumenical bodies: Economic justice and good governance; Conflict resolution, peace building and reconciliation; Health and education; Spirituality, identity and unity.   (WCC, 22 March 2000)

* Madagascar. More helicopters needed  -  Madagascar's government and the World Food Programme (WFP) are appealing for more helicopters and aircraft to bring food and supplies to people isolated by floods. While sufficient international food aid and supplies have been brought to the Indian Ocean island nation, landslides and floodwaters have made it difficult to reach the neediest people, said Lucile Randrianarivelo, permanent secretary of the national disaster committee. "Madagascar doesn't have enough aircraft to reach the worst-hit areas", she said in comments broadcast on national television on 15 March. "We are urgently appealing for more helicopters," WFP spokesman Wagdi Othman said on 16 March, adding that the WFP needs at least two more helicopters and a small plane for aerial surveys as soon as possible. The WFP estimates that more than 43,000 people have lost their homes or crops. At least 130 people have died from the storms, and much of the cropland has been damaged. The floods have also worsened a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 1,350 people in one year. However, the destruction is thought to be less severe than that in Madagascar's western neighbour, Mozambique.   (CNN, 16 March 2000)

* Madagascar. Les victimes des inondations  -  Madagascar manque dramatiquement d'helicopteres pour apporter des vivres aux victimes des inondations. Seul un tiers des 435 tonnes de nourriture apportees par l'aide humanitaire est ainsi arrive jusqu'a ceux qui en ont besoin, a annonce le 17 mars la commission nationale en charge des catastrophes. Les inondations ont en effet rendu la plupart des routes impraticables. L'ambassade americaine a annonce qu'elle demanderait une assistance militaire des Etats-Unis. La Federation internationale de la Croix Rouge a lance un appel a la communaute internationale, estimant que Madagascar avait besoin de quelque 3 millions de dollars d'aide supplementaire.   (AP, 17 mars 2000)

* Maroc. Candidature a l'UE  -  "Le Maroc reste candidat a l'Union europeenne", a declare le 16 mars le porte-parole du roi Mohammed VI du Maroc pour qui "cette question n'est plus un tabou". Hassan Aourid, qui s'exprimait lors d'un point de presse presentant les enjeux de la visite d'Etat du roi en France, du 19 au 23 mars, a ajoute que "le pretexte geographique n'est plus de mise" en se referant au recent feu vert donne par l'UE pour le depot de candidature de la Turquie. Le Maroc et l'Union europeenne sont deja lies depuis le 1er mars par un accord d'association.   (AP, 16 mars 2000)

* Maroc. Visite du roi en France  -  Le roi Mohammed VI est arrive en France, dimanche 19 mars en fin d'apres-midi, pour une visite d'Etat de trois jours. Le lundi 20, il a rencontre a plusieurs reprises le president Chirac. Les jours suivants, il s'entretiendra avec le Premier ministre Lionel Jospin et les presidents de l'Assemblee nationale et du Senat. La France est toujours le premier fournisseur et premier client du Maroc. Ces dernieres annees, elle a accepte d'effacer 2 milliards de francs de dettes marocaines; et le 21 mars, la France et le Maroc ont signe un nouvel accord de conversion de la dette marocaine de quelque 700.000 FF. Par ailleurs, Paris pourrait se reveler un precieux allie, face a l'Espagne, a l'heure ou Rabat se prepare a renegocier avec l'Union europeenne des accords de commercialisation de produits agricoles venus a echeance en l'an 2000. Dans ses discours a Paris, Mohammed VI a plaide pour une nouvelle forme de partenariat entre son pays et l'Union europeenne, un nouveau statut qui serait plus qu'une association mais, provisoirement, en-deca d'une adhesion. Nicole Fontaine, presidente du Parlement europeen, a reagi, estimant qu'une entree du Maroc dans l'UE "ne serait pas raisonnable, pas souhaitable dans la conception geographique qui est la notre. Le Maroc n'est pas en Europe", a-t-elle dit, tout en souhaitant un renforcement du partenariat euro-mediterraneen.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 23 mars 2000)

* Mozambique. Menace d'epidemies  -  Le 17 mars, l'OMS a estime que "la menace d'epidemie de malaria au Mozambique augmentait", alors que les inondations se resorbent apres plusieurs semaines de pluies. La meteo reste cependant instable et des inondations genent encore par endroits l'acheminement de l'aide. La tendance a la baisse des eaux s'est poursuivie, mais la situation reste critique pour le fleuve Buzi (centre) qui a cru ces derniers jours. De nouvelles pluies sont annoncees pour les jours a venir, mais de plus faible intensite. Le retrait prochain de plusieurs helicopteres militaires, arrives en fin de mission, inquiete les agences humanitaires.   (ANB_BIA, de sources diverses, 18 mars 2000)

* Mozambique. A country still in need  -  16 March: Mozambique says it is disappointed that the Paris Club of creditor nations has suspended rather than cancelled, its debt repayments. Mozambique's total debt payments for the year 2000 had been estimated at US $73 million. The Paris Club announcement means all Mozambique's payment to member countries will be suspended until a global accord is reached on debt cancellation. 17 March: More than 300,000 people are still in need of daily aid a month after the country's worst flood in living memory. The relief effort has been hampered by heavy rain over the past five days and more is forecast for the centre and north of the country. Aid workers have been scrambling to rush food, clean water and medicine to survivors. International aid agencies are urging nations involved in the relief operation to keep their helicopters in the region until the end of the month. A British military spokesman says the contingent's four Puma helicopters based in Maputo were being withdrawn because roads in the Limpopo region have improved and trucks are able to get through. 19 March: Light rain showers across much of Mozambique are expected to last well into the week. 23 March: Aid workers say they expect towns in southern Mozambique to be swamped by flood waters after a dangerous rise in the level of the Limpopo river. The warning comes a day after the Mozambican government and the UN launched a new appeal for international aid money to assist victims of the floods.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 23 March 2000)

* Namibie. Nujoma entame son 3e mandat  -  Le 21 mars, lors de ceremonies marquant le 10e anniversaire de l'independance du pays, le president Sam Nujoma a prete serment pour un troisieme mandat presidentiel de cinq ans, en presence de neuf chefs d'Etat africains. M. Nujoma a ensuite investi officiellement son Premier ministre Hage Geingob, et son gouvernement comprenant 22 membres. Decorant a cette occasion quatre soldats namibiens ayant combattu en R.D.Congo, il reaffirme son soutien au gouvernement de Laurent Kabila, en soulignant que la Namibie avait envoye des troupes en RDC "dans un esprit de recherche et de maintien de la paix". Sur le plan interieur, M. Nujoma a affirme notamment que le principal objectif de son nouveau mandat etait de favoriser les petites et moyennes entreprises et de creer 50.000 nouveaux emplois.   (ANB- BIA, de sources diverses, 22 mars 2000)


weekly news anb0323 - End of Part 4/7