weekly anb05115.txt #8

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

WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-05-2000      PART #5/8

* Nigeria. Abacha's bank accounts frozen  -  The authorities in
Luxembourg say they have frozen bank accounts belonging to the late
Nigerian president, Sani Abacha, containing more than $600 million.
The Luxembourg deputy state prosecutor, Georges Heisbourg, said
that eight accounts in a Luxembourg subsidiary of an unnamed German
bank were blocked. They were in the name of different offshore oil
companies linked to General Abacha. An investigation by Luxembourg
officials, conducted at the request of the Nigerian government,
found that two of General Abacha's sons profited from the
companies.   (BBC News, 9 May 2000)

* Nigeria. Controversy over HIV cure  -  Nigeria is in the grip of
controversy over the unproven claims of a doctor who says he has
found a cure for the HIV virus. It is not the kind of place you
would expect to stumble across one of history's great scientific
breakthroughs -- but the Nigerian public are queuing up in droves
outside Dr Jeremiah Abalaka's private clinic in a dusty township
outside Abuja. He denies they are desperate people who have fallen
for a con-trick. Rather, they are the lucky ones -- amongst the
first people in the world to discover that HIV can be cured. Dr
Abalaka says he does not only have a cure for HIV -- he even has a
vaccine to prevent you contracting the virus. He says he has
already cured 29 people.   (BBC News, 8 May 2000)

* Rwanda/Grande-Bretagne. Developpement  -  L'inauguration, le 8
mai, du bureau rwandais du DFID (Departement pour le developpement
international) par le secretaire d'Etat britannique pour le
developpement international, Clare Short, en visite de trois jours
au Rwanda, est une etape importante pour le renforcement du
partenariat entre le Royaume-Uni et le Rwanda, a declare un
communique du ministere. Le bureau de Kigali, mis en place en
novembre dernier, jouerait un role essentiel dans le soutien des
activites de developpement du DFID au Rwanda au fur et a mesure que
le programme bilateral du Royaume-Uni au Rwanda se developperait.
Ce bureau aiderait egalement le DFID a surveiller les efforts
humanitaires consentis dans le Burundi voisin.   (IRIN, Nairobi, 8
mai 2000)

* Rwanda. Peine de mort requise contre Mgr Misago  -  Le 9 mai, le
proces de l'eveque de Gikongoro, Mgr Augustin Misago, est entre
dans sa derniere phase. La Chambre specialisee du tribunal de
premiere instance de Kigali a entendu toute la journee du mardi les
requisitoires des avocats des parties civiles et du parquet. Le
representant du procureur a demande au tribunal de reconnaitre
l'accuse coupable et de le condamner a la peine maximale, la peine
de mort. Les avocats de la partie civile ont egalement demande que
l'eveque soit reconnu coupable et condamne a payer des dommages
moraux a raison de 27 milliards de francs rwandais. - Le 10 mai, le
Saint-Pere a envoye le message suivant a Mgr Misago: "Son
Excellence Monseigneur Augustin Misago, eveque de Gikongoro
(Rwanda). - Face aux douloureuses nouvelles qui me parviennent sur
votre detention en prison, qui se prolonge depuis deja treize mois,
et plus encore sur la demande de peine capitale qui a ete proposee,
je me sens le devoir de vous dire une fois encore, tres cher
pasteur du diocese bien-aime de Gikongoro, combien je suis proche
de vous, comme l'est aussi toute l'Eglise. En formulant des vțux
pour que vous soit redonnee rapidement la liberte et que vous
puissiez reprendre le gouvernement pastoral de votre communaute
diocesaine, je demande au Seigneur ressuscite de vous accorder la
presence et le soutien de son Esprit, et de grand cțur je vous
envoie la benediction apostolique. -- Ioannes Paulus pp ii".  
(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 mai 2000)

* Rwanda. Prosecutors: "Misago deserves death"  -  9 May:
Prosecutors in Rwanda have called for the death penalty to be
imposed on Bishop Misago, accused of helping to plan the 1994
genocide in Rwanda. Prosecuting attorneys put forward their final
arguments against Bishop Augustin Misago --who has steadfastly
denied the charges against him during court hearings in Kigali. "We
have submitted all arguments attesting to Misago's role in the
planning of the genocide, complicity in genocide and perpetration
of genocide", says the prosecuting attorney, Eduard Kayihura. "And
given his proven role in these killings...Misago deserves the death
sentence". The Defense attorneys are due to present their final
arguments in court on 11 May. A verdict is expected eight days
later, but court officials say it could take longer. (Editor's
note:The Pope has sent a message of solidarity with the Bishop. The
Pope expressed his sorrow at the suffering of the Bishop in
prison.)   (CNN, 10 May 2000)

* Rwanda. Ruggiu plaide coupable  -  L'ancien journaliste italo-
belge Georges Omar Ruggiu est pret a passer aux aveux devant le
Tribunal penal international pour le Rwanda, ont confirme ses
avocats le 10 mai a Arusha. Ruggiu etait animateur a la Radio-
television libre des mille collines, dont le parquet affirme
qu'elle "diffusait regulierement des messages concus pour creer la
haine inter-ethnique et encourager la population a tuer". Georges
Ruggiu reconnait avoir "fait de la discrimination et de
l'incitation" directe et publique a commettre le genocide, selon
ses avocats, qui ajoutent que le parquet presentera une demande de
modification de l'acte d'accusation existant.   (Agence Hirondelle,
Arusha, 10 mai 2000)

* Rwanda/Uganda. Bad blood  -  Bad words escalated between the two
countries when there was a change in President in Rwanda.
Discussions on local radio and analyses in Ugandan newspapers gave
the impression that Uganda still seems to regard Rwanda more like
a satellite state. Rwandan newspapers hit back, calling Uganda's
President Museveni a "dictator". The fact is, Uganda has been
playing host to Rwandan opposition supporters, including military
officers who have turned renegade against Rwanda's government.
Uganda gave protection to John Sebarenzi Kabuye, former Speaker of
Rwanda's parliament who fled to Uganda. He had allegedly been
conspiring with "pro-monarchy" forces to cause trouble in Rwanda.
President Museveni said he could not turn Sebarenzi over to the
Rwandese authorities because he was being persecuted for his
political beliefs. A good explanation, but don't forget, two years
previously, Uganda had handed over Nathaniel Nsengyumva. In spite
of recent events in Kisangani, Congo RDC, Uganda does not want to
completely break with Rwanda, as that country is presently the
largest export destination for Ugandan commodities   (Crespo
Sebunya, 26 April 2000)

* Senegal/Tchad. Proces d'Hissene Habre  -  Le 10 mai, des groupes
de defense des droits de l'homme ont publie un communique
soulignant que le Senegal a l'obligation juridique de traduire en
justice l'ancien dictateur tchadien Hissene Habre. Cette
declaration a ete publiee a la veille d'une audition a Dakar devant
la chambre de mise en accusation. Les avocats d'Habre plaideront
notamment que le Senegal n'est pas competent pour juger des crimes
commis au Tchad. Les ONG estiment, quant a elles, que la Convention
1984 des Nations unies contre la torture, ratifiee par le Senegal,
fait obligation aux Etats de poursuivre en justice ou d'extrader
les presumes bourreaux qui entrent sur leur territoire.   (IRIN,
Abidjan, 10 mai 2000)

* Sierra Leone. Hopes for revival until...  -  Catholic
organisations have been to the forefront of the rehabilitation and
reconstruction process in Sierra Leone, but they are frequently
faced with financial hiccups. With the present unrest and
uncertitudes continuing, it is important that the people have
somewhere they can turn to, in their time of need. By the beginning
of April, Sierra Leone was beginning to pull itself out of the
ashes of war. A two-man delegation from Caritas International and
the International Catholic Commission on Migration thus made a
visit in early April to assess and evaluate the activities and
projects of Catholic educational institutions coming under the care
of the Archdiocese of Freetown and Children Associated with War
(CAW), a Catholic rehabilitation organisation with a special
interest in rehabilitating former child soldiers. The delegation
insisted on the importance of their visit, saying: "The children
have been in the jungle, taking part in the widespread atrocities
committed by the rebels. Many of them have become used to consuming
hard drugs. After visiting the southern province, the head of
delegation, Mr Hermann Deboue, said both the organisations they
represented will strive to influence other organisations in Africa
to introduce projects, not just for emergency situations, but also
for long-term development assistance to Sierra Leone. Father
Theophilous Momoh, CAW's director, said: "There is a herculean task
to be performed in post-war Sierra Leone. This visit has given us
a ray of hope". Let us hope that with the present renewed violence,
this hope is not completely dashed.   (Alpha R.Jalloh, ANB-BIA,
Sierra Leone, 3 May 2000)

Weekly anb0511 - End of part 5/8