weekly anb04068.txt

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 06-04-2000      PART #8/9

* Afrique du Sud. Un medicament grauit por les sideens  -  La
societe americaine Pfizer Inc. a propose de fournir gratuitement
aux Sud-Africains plus pauvres malades du sida, ayant contracte la
meningite meningocoque, un medicament contre cette forme de
meningite liee au virus de sida. C'est mardi 4 avril que la Pfizer
a informe le ministre sud-africain qu'elle etait prete a fournir
gratuitement du fluconazole, sous le nom de Diflucan. Cette offre
arrive au moment ou une polemique s'est engagee contre le
gouvernement sud-africain qui refuse de fournir de l'ATZ aux
hopitaux publics, et aux femmes seropositives enceintes notamment.
L'espoir du lobby qui a pousse la maison pharmaceutique a adopter
cette initiative dans le cadre de la Campagne pour le traitement du
HIV et du sida, est que d'autres societes suivent son exemple.  
(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 avril 2000)

* Soudan. La guerre civile continue  -  L'Alliance nationale
democratique, une coalition regroupant des rebelles du Sud et des
groupes d'opposition du Nord, ont pris le controle, il y a deux
semaines, du district de Hamashkoraib, une zone situee dans l'est
du pays a la frontiere avec l'Erythree. Le 2 avril, au cours d'un
meeting du Parti du congres national au pouvoir, le president Omar
El-Bechir a declare que Khartoum ne parlera que "le langage du
fusil" avec "les envahisseurs, les traitres". Plusieurs centaines
de camions transportant des hommes et des vivres ont ete envoyes en
renfort aux troupes gouvernementales pour recuperer le district.  
(D'apres AP, 2 avril 2000)

* Sudan. Peace talks  -  3 April: Peace talks resume today in
Nairobi, between the Sudanese government and the rebels in Sudan.
The new round of talks is part of the peace initiative organised by
the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), which
includes most of the Horn of Africa countries. 4 April: President
Gaddafi of Libya, President El-Bechir of Sudan, and President
Mubarak of Egypt, meet in Cairo to discuss the joint initiative of
Libya and Egypt for peace in Sudan. They examine means to bridge
the gap between the various parties to the Sudanese conflict.  
(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 6 April 2000)

* Tanzania. Zanzibar's treason case  -  The High Court of Zanzibar
has rejected a defense argument asking for the dismissal of treason
charges facing 18 members of the Islands' main opposition party,
the Civic United Front (CUF). The case came up for hearing on 3
April. Most of the defendants were arrested in late 1997. For their
defence submission, Defence Counsel Mr. Ussi Khamis and Hamid
Bezeleni, asked for dismissal of the case on the grounds that there
could be no coup accusation because Zanzibar is not a sovereign
state. They affirmed: "According to the Union Constitution
(Mainland and Isles) there is no state called Zanzibar. Since
Zanzibar is not a sovereign state, how one commit treason? Mr.
Hamid himself a former Zanzibar Attorney General and High Court
Judge, said: "Tanzania is one state and is a sovereign united
republic. Therefore, there is no state of Zanzibar." By way of
reply, the Principal State Attorney, Salum Tawfig, said the accused
have something to answer. The judge dismissed the application
seeking to dismiss the case and adjourned the trial until 2 May.  
(TOMRIC Agency, Tanzania, 5 April 2000

* Tunisie. Grace presidentielle  -  Le 30 mars, le president
tunisien Ben Ali a gracie neuf eleves condamnes a des peines de
prison a la suite des incidents survenus lors des manifestations du
mois de fevrier dans le sud du pays. 26 personnes avaient ete
condamnees par un tribunal de premiere instance a des peines allant
de 4 a 6 mois de prison ferme. - Par ailleurs, les deux militantes
tunisiennes des droits de l'homme qui avaient entame une greve de
la faim pour protester contre la confiscation de leur passeport,
ont arrete leur action a la suite de l'intervention du president de
la ligue tunisienne des droits de l'homme qui a recu du ministre de
l'Interieur la promesse que leurs documents leur seraient rendus. 
 (Le Soir, Belgique, 1er avril 2000)

* Tunisia. New oil/gas finds necessary  -  4 April: Tunisia says
that new oil and gas discoveries are needed if the country is to
meet an expected sharp increase in domestic hydrocarbon demand over
the next 10 years. "The increasing hydrocarbon demand to feed the
economy and particularly the sharply growing power generation, may
not match up to the resources available in the medium term unless
exploration efforts lead to new discoveries," says Industry
Minister Moncef Ben Abdallah. He tells an annual energy conference
organised by the state oil company ETAP, that projected demand for
2010 is around 12 million tonnes of oil equivalent, compared to the
current level of 7.0 million tonnes.   (ABC News, 4 April 2000)

* Tunisie. Le correspondant de Syfia brime et reprime  -  Taoufik
Ben Brik, correspondant de l'agence Syfia depuis huit ans, observe
depuis le 3 avril une greve de la faim a Tunis pour protester
contre le harcelement dont lui et ses proches sont l'objet.
Quelques jours auparavant, il s'etait vu decerne le prix Human
Rights Watch Hellman/Hammett, destine aux ecrivains en butte a des
persecutions politiques. Poete et journaliste, c'est par quelques
vers que Taoufik Ben Brik annonce son intention d'observer une
greve de la faim. Il egrene ensuite la litanie des brimades dont
lui et ses proches sont la cible depuis dix ans de la part des
autorites tunisiennes. Correspondant de medias etrangers (Syfia
international, l'agence suisse InfoSud, le quotidien francais La
Croix...) depuis qu'il est interdit de plume dans son propre pays,
il sait que chaque article publie risque de lui attirer des ennuis
avec la police ou avec la justice. Dans un communique, Reporters
sans frontieres "demande aux autorites tunisiennes de mettre un
terme definitif au harcelement dont font l'objet Taoufik Ben Brik
et ses proches".   (Denise Williams, Syfia, France, 4 avril 2000)

* Tunisia. Municipal elections  -  The next municipal elections,
scheduled for May 28, 2000, are expected to widen the role of the
opposition and that of women in municipalities (local councils)
around the country. "We will make sure that this important
political event constitutes a new stage in the consolidation of the
democratic process," said President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a
major policy address delivered last February. "We will make sure,
also, that these elections will take place in a climate marked by
civility, respect of the law, neutrality of the administration and
transparency." President Ben Ali, who was re-elected last October
in the country's first contested elections, announced that, "all
brotherly and friendly nations, who so desire, will be able to
monitor the elections and realize by themselves the level of
progress achieved by our country in the materialization of the
electoral right and the upholding of ethical standards of honest
competition." International observers were also able in October
1999 to freely monitor last general elections. Tunisian nationals
23 years or older are eligible to municipal council seats. Voters
have to be at least 20 years old.   (Tunisia Online, 4 April)

* Tchad. Projet petrolier  -  Les firmes petrolieres Petronas
(malaisien) et Chevron (americain) ont officiellement rejoint Esso
dans le consortium charge d'exploiter l'important gisement
petrolier tchadien de Doba, a annonce le gouvernement tchadien le
31 mars. Les presidents d'Esso, de Petronas et de Chevron, et le
ministre tchadien des mines et du petrole ont signe l'engagement
d'investissement pour la realisation du projet. Selon le communique
du gouvernement, Esso Exploration and Production Chad demeure
l'operateur du projet avec 40% des parts, contre 35% pour Petronas
Carigali Chad, et 25% pour Chevron Petroleum Chad.   (Le Monde,
France, 2 mars 2000)

* Uganda. Cult massacre inquiry  -  31 March: Police have arrested
a district official in connection with the fire at the headquarters
of the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God cult in Kanungu,
western Uganda. In an interview, yesterday, in London, President
Museveni accused district and regional officers of suppressing
intelligence reports on the activities of the sect. The assistant
resident district commissioner, Robert Mutazindwa, who was formerly
in charge of Kanungu, was picked up by police this week and is now
being held for questioning. "He is held on speculation about his
role in the group and we hope that he will come out with evidence
to help us in our investigation", said John Kisembo, the inspector
general of police. 1 April: The Government calls for a Day of
Prayer on 2 April, for the more than 900 people now known to have
died. The aim is "to console suffering relatives and assure the
country that action is being taken in pursuit of the criminal
perpetrators". Investigators are struggling to cope with the scale
of their macabre discoveries. The police postpone efforts to find
more bodies because they don't have enough body bags or masks and
protective clothing for searchers, 2 April: Mourners gather in
Kanungu for a special church service in memory of the victims who
are now expected to exceed 1,000. Vice-President Wandera Kazibwe
lays a wreath on the mass grave of victims. Referring to the cult,
the Bishop of Kabale in whose diocese Kanungu falls, Bishop Robert
Gay M. Afr, has said: "All the religion of the movement was
imported. Members abused a number of symbols linked with valid
devotions. There is nothing wrong with fasting, solitude and
silence, until you carry it to excess.(...) Very many of the people
who joined, particularly the women and children, had no idea that
the movement had been proscribed by the Church and priests in it
excommunicated".   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 4 April 2000)

* Ouganda. Secte: arrestation et bilan  -  30 mars. Les autorites
ont annonce avoir place en garde a vue un ancien responsable de la
sous-prefecture de Kanungu, soupconne d'avoir des liens avec la
secte apocalyptique, dont le nombre de victimes est passe a 724. Le
ministre de l'Interieur s'est declare convaincu que le reverend
Amooti Mutazindwa, soupconne d'avoir detruit un rapport officiel
des services de renseignement qualifiant la secte de menace a la
securite, "n'aurait pas ete implique dans les massacres". Les deux
principaux leaders de la secte sont toujours recherches. - Le 2
avril, la vice-presidente ougandaise Specioza Kazibwe a affirme que
le bilan officiel des victimes de la secte du "Renouveau des dix
commandements de Dieu" s'eleve a au moins 1.000 morts. Ce bilan
encore provisoire fait de cette secte la plus meurtriere connue a
ce jour.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 3 avril 2000)

weekly anb0406 -  end of part 8/9