weekly anb05117.txt #8

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-05-2000      PART #7/8

* South Africa. Reparations remain unpaid  -  There is mounting
anger about the South African government's failure to pay
reparations to victims of human rights abuses. Failure to pay
reparations, say some legal analysts, could place the entire Truth
and Reconciliation process -- including amnesties already granted -
in jeopardy. There are increasing criticism of the ANC-led
government's inability to follow through the quid pro quo upon
which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC was established.
According to the agreement, victims of conflicts during the
apartheid era, agreed to give up their civil and legal challenges
on condition that they were paid compensation. The former head of
investigations at the TRC, Judge Dumisa Ntsebeza says, "people are
upset about the lack of movement by the government on reparations.
It's only a matter of time before this matter is challenged in the
courts." The judge's comments follow the warning by the Anglican
Archbishop of Cape Town, Njongonkulu Ndungane, last week, that the
problems in Zimbabwe, where war veterans are invading white-owned
farms, could occur in South Africa if the government failed to keep
the promise to TRC victims. When the TRC presented its final report
to the government in August 1998, it recommended that just under 3-
billion be set aside over six years to reimburse victims of gross
human rights abuses. The money was intended to partly compensate
for the death of a breadwinner or the loss of income due to injury
or expenses incurred because of abuse. The report suggested that a
reparations trust fund be established and also raised the
possibility of a once-off levy on corporate and private income in
the form of a wealth tax. The government has since allocated R300
million towards reparations, R20 million of which has been used so
far to make "urgent interim payments" (limited to amounts between
R2000 and R5000) to 7000 victims. No provision has been made for
final payments or larger sums to be allocated.   (James Brew, ANB-
BIA, South Africa, 5 May 2000)

* South Africa. AIDS meeting stirs up hornet's nest  -  An AIDS
advisory panel appointed by President Mbeki met on 6 May amid an
uproar over its inclusion of scientists who say the disease is not
caused by the HIV virus. About 30 scientists are attending the two-
day Partnership Against AIDS conference, hosted by Mbeki, who upset
the world health community earlier this year by refusing to provide
the anti-AIDS drug, AZT, to HIV-positive pregnant women.   (CNN, 6
May 2000)

* South Africa. Rand plunges -- general strike  -  On 9 May, the
South African Rand fell to a record low of R7.08 to the dollar as
currency dealers and foreign investors take fright at the possible
impact of Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis on other
countries of the region. Yields on South African government bonds
rose sharply on the back of foreign selling. A general strike
called for 10 May by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, an
ally of the ruling African National Congress, added to pressure on
the Rand. 10 May: Police clash with supporters of a one-day
national strike called by the Confederation of South African Trade
Unions (COSATU), to protest against job losses. Willie Madisha,
COASTU's president, says the government has six days to respond to
COSATU's memorandum on retrenchments and unemplyment. The South
African Chamber of Business has warned that the strike could cost
the economy nearly $500 million and discourage investment.   (ANB-
BIA, Brussels, 11 May 2000)

* Afrique du Sud. Greve massive contre le chomage  -  10 mai. Pres
de la moitie des travailleurs sud-africains, selon la Chambre de
commerce d'Afrique du Sud, ont cesse le travail dans le cadre d'une
journee d'action de 24 heures contre le chomage. Plusieurs milliers
de grevistes vetus des tee-shirts rouges a l'effigie du COSATU, le
principal syndicat du pays fort de 1,8 million de membres, se sont
rassembles a Johannesburg, a Pretoria, au Cap et pres des mines et
usines un peu partout dans le pays. Le taux de chomage atteint plus
de 30% de la population active et le pays a perdu plusieurs
millions d'emplois ces dernieres annees.   (Reuters, 10 mai 2000)

* Sudan. Indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets  -  "The people
of South Sudan are dying under the bombing, as the world looks on
in silence". This was the urgent appeal launched by Monsignor
Cesare Mazzolari, Bishop of Rumbek. On 2 May, the town of Yei, in
Western Equatoria, was hit by missiles launched from the border
with Congo RDC. "No one knows who launched them, though it is
absolutely certain that they were aimed at civilian targets", the
prelate explained to the MISNA press agency. "I do not know how
many died under the bombs", he added, so I will not attempt to give
an estimate". News of the bombing was confirmed by the
International Christian Concern organisation. Also the town of
Mading in the Upper Nile region, north of the city of Malakal, was
indiscriminately bombed from 1-3 May. The bombs were dropped by Mig
23 fighter planes. The centre of Lui, in western Equatoria, 90km
west of Juba, was bombed by the same planes on the 19 April and the
centre of Tali, 45km north-west of Juba, on 16 April. The bishop
underlined that the attacks were all aimed at civilian targets. "I
urge the Sudanese government", said the Bishop, "and all armed
groups present in Southern Sudan, to guarantee a cease-fire for the
sake of the civil population".   (MISNA, Italy, 4 May 2000)

* Soudan. Bechir accuse Tourabi  -  Dans la nuit du 4 au 5 mai, au
terme d'une reunion de plusieurs heures des dirigeants du parti
islamiste au pouvoir, le president El-Bechir a accuse son principal
rival politique Hassan Tourabi - qui fut longtemps l'eminence grise
de son regime islamiste - de conspiration contre le gouvernement.
Le 12 decembre dernier, le president soudanais avait ecarte M.
Tourabi du pouvoir en dissolvant le parlement qu'il presidait et en
proclamant l'etat d'urgence dans le pays. Tourabi a toutefois
conserve son poste de secretaire general du parti. Mais, "il
incitait l'armee, les services de securite, la police, les
Moudjahidine et les etudiants contre le gouvernement", a declare le
general Bechir. - Le 7 mai, defiant ouvertement le president
Bechir, M. Tourabi a conteste son eviction du pouvoir et promis de
continuer son combat politique. Il a affirme que son eviction etait
anticonstitutionnelle et qu'il allait defier les ordres
presidentiels.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 7 mai 2000)

* Sudan. Al-Turabi to "fight on"  -  6 May: President al-Bashir
removes Sudanese Islamic leader Hassan al-Turabi from his position
as secretary-general of the National Congress ruling party,
accusing him of plotting with the army to overthrown him. 8 May: In
an open defiance of President al-Bashir, al-Turabi vows to continue
his political activities despite being sacked from a senior ruling
party post. The deposed Islamic leader tells hundreds of supporters
who gathered outside his house in Khartoum, that his dismissal was
"unconstitutional". Mr al-Turabi accuses the President of betraying
the Islamic movement. He says President al-Bashir is a "power-
hungry military dictator who will soon be ousted by his own party". 
 (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 May 2000)

* Tanzania. First woman joins Zanzibar presidential race  -  The
Finance Minister in Tanzania's semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar
and Pemba, has become the first woman to join the presidential
election race there. Amina Salum Ali said she'd decided to stand
for president of Zanzibar to continue economic reforms and efforts
to alleviate poverty.   (BBC News, 10 May 2000)

* Chad. Crisis on all fronts  -  Pressure is growing on President
Idriss Deby after a month which has seen growing opposition calls
for his departure, continuing poor relations with France and
reports of fresh clashes with guerrillas in the north. Since
November 1999, insurgents under Mr Deby's former defence minister,
Youssouf Togoimi, appear to have inflicted a series of defeats on
government forces in the Tibesti region, which is closed to
journalists. Mr Deby now appears to have deepening dependence on
Libya's President Gaddafi, who has been delegated to find a
solution to the conflict. On 5 May, Nigeria said it had reached
agreement with Chad to strengthen security along their common
border.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 May 2000)

* Tunisie/Soudan. Relations diplomatiques  -  Les gouvernements
tunisien et soudanais ont decide de retablir leurs relations
diplomatiques, a annonce le 4 mai le ministere tunisien des
Affaires etrangeres. La Tunisie avait rompu ses relations
diplomatiques avec le Soudan en 1992, accusant ce pays de soutenir
le mouvement integriste tunisien Ennadha (interdit) et d'abriter
des camps d'entrainement de ses membres. Apres des contacts entre
les deux parties, Tunis et Khartoum ont convenu que la reprise des
relations se ferait "dans le cadre de la transparence et sur la
base du respect mutuel et de la non-ingerence dans les affaires
interieures". Le dirigeant d'Ennadha entretenait des rapports
etroits avec l'ideologue soudanais Hassan Tourabi; la mise a
l'ecart de ce dernier en decembre dernier a favorise la
normalisation des rapports entre les deux pays.   (AP, 4 mai 2000)

* Tunisia. Human rights concerns  -  4 May: Taoufiq Ben Brik, a
Tunisian journalist who has been on hunger strike for a month in
protest against what he says is government harassment, has arrived
in France. He has vowed to continue his hunger strike and says he
wants to meet President Chirac. Mr Ben Brik is a correspondent for
the news agencies Infosud and Syfia, also for the French daily La
Croix. 8 May: Human Rights Watch condemns Tunisia's ongoing
repression of the country's human rights defenders. The
organisation cites the severe beatings on 26 April of three
prominent activists in a Tunis police station.   (ANB-BIA,
Brussels, 9 May 2000)

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