Weekly anb04116.txt #6

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-04-2001      PART #6/6

* Sudan. Govt. allegedly encouraging slavery  -  The Sudanese government is 
allegedly encouraging slavery by delivering arms to Arab kidnappers in 
return for their support in the civil war. According to European officials, 
the Khartoum government has broken its promises to the West that it would 
address allegations of slavery. Instead, it has hampered efforts by UNICEF 
and Save the Children UK to win the release of tens of thousands of women 
and children, mostly from Christian and animist Dinka tribes. The 
government makes matters worse by shipping arms and supplies to Arabic 
tribes in the Bahr al-Ghazal province of southern Sudan, say Western 
sources and Dinka leaders. The Dinkas, an indigenous southern Sudanese 
tribe, say that Khartoum has dropped all pressure on the Arabs to end the 
slave trade. James Aguer, head of the Dinka tribal committee, said: "The 
government has given the green light for more abductions as a gift to the 
Arabic tribal militias that support the military's war against the Dinka." 
Until last summer, Mr Aguer's committee, working through the Khartoum 
government, had helped free more than 350 people held captive in southern 
Sudan. Mr Aguer made his accusation surrounded by members of the Dinka 
committee as well as a dozen former captives, boys and girls, who are 
living in a mud-brick home on the edge of Khartoum awaiting reunions with 
their families in southern Sudan. He said: "We know where to find the 
slaves, but we can't work. The government cannot face up to the tribes and 
demand the slaves be returned because the tribes support the army and the 
army gives them guns."   (Daily Telegraph, UK, 9 April 2001)

* Swaziland. Slow pace of political reforms  -  The United States said on 5 
April it was "dismayed" by Swaziland's failure to effect far-reaching 
political reforms and warned that its support for programmes in the tiny 
kingdom depended on it replacing its current political order, under which 
party politics are banned and the monarchy wields absolute power. The US 
embassy in Mbabane said Swaziland's commitment to a transition to 
democratic rule and respect for human rights and the rule of law was "the 
principle goal of the US mission" in the country. However, the US 
government was "dismayed" by the slow pace of the reform process and 
concerned about its possibly limited scope. "We note that the 
constitutional review commission was established in 1996. Its report is 
overdue and the US government is dismayed by this delay," embassy public 
affairs officer Bruce Lohof told IRIN. "My government will not comment on 
the commission's report until it is made public, but we find it difficult 
to understand how a new constitution that retains the old order can help 
Swaziland build strong public institutions and a healthy civil society," he 
added. He was responding to an announcement made at the weekend by the 
constitutional review commission that effectively ruled out reforms in the 
country's political structure beyond the introduction of a Bill of Rights. 
Commission chairman Mangaliso Dlamini on 1 April told a meeting of the 
Swaziland Society, a Mbabane-based civic organisation, that the 
constitution his team had drafted retained the existing power 
structure.   (IRIN, Southern Africa, 5 April 2001)

* Tanzania. Opposition takes to the streets  -  An unprecedented protest by 
Tanzanian opposition groups over the weekend highlights growing political 
tensions in what had hitherto been regarded as one of Africa's most stable 
countries, diplomats believe. An estimated 60,000 opposition supporters 
marched through Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania's main city, on 7 April, demanding 
a new constitution, the establishment of an independent electoral 
commission and the re-run of last October's controversial elections in 
Zanzibar. The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has held power since 
independence. After many years as a one-party state, opposition parties 
were allowed to contest the 1995 and 2000 polls. However, they are poorly 
resourced and divided, and were soundly beaten. On the islands of Zanzibar, 
which enjoy a measure of autonomy from the mainland, the Civic United Front 
claims fraud and rigging robbed it of victory on both occasions. Dozens of 
Zanzibaris were killed in clashes with security forces in January after 
demonstrations against the last election. A further 2,000 fled to 
neighbouring Kenya, where they remain in exile. "We are gaining momentum" 
John Cheyo, chairman of the United Democratic Party, told the Reuters news 
agency. "It is our intention to keep up this unity, to keep up the 
pressure...until the next elections." President Benjamin Mkapa says 
dialogue is the best way out of the present impasse, an offer officials 
hope will prove sufficient to ease concerns amongst donors, who provide 
substantial amounts of aid to one of Africa's poorest 
countries.   (Financial Times, UK, 10 April 2001)

* Tchad. Gouvernement remanié  -  Le président tchadien, Idriss Déby, a 
limogé de son gouvernement de coalition tous les ministres issus de l'Union 
nationale pour le développement et le renouveau (UNDR), a informé l'AFP. Le 
limogeage fait suite à la décision de l'UNDR de faire du numéro deux du 
gouvernement, le ministre de l'Agriculture, M. Saleh Kebzabo, son candidat 
aux présidentielles du 2 mai prochain. Les autres personnalités en lice 
sont le président de l'Assemblée nationale, M. Wadal Abdelkader Kamougué, 
et l'ancien Premier ministre M. Kassiré Coumakoye.   (IRIN, Abidjan, 9 
avril 2001)

* Zambia. Another Kaunda heads UNIP  -  The opposition United National 
Independence Party (UNIP) says it has chosen the son of the former 
president and party leader, Kenneth Kaunda, as its new leader. The 
spokesman said Tilyeni Kaunda was appointed at a lengthy meeting of the 
leadership. His predecessor, Francis Nkhoma, was suspended as party 
president several months ago.   (BBC News, UK, 6 April 2001)

* Zambia. Ten miners feared dead in copper mine accident  -  Ground 
movement caused a slope in an open-pit copper mine to collapse on 8 April, 
burying 10 mine workers in sand, a mine spokeswoman said. The miners were 
feared dead, Anglo American spokeswoman Anne Dunn said in a statement. The 
accident happened on the afternoon of 8 April at the Konkola Copper Mines 
in Chingola, some 185 miles north of Zambia's capital, Lusaka.   (CNN, USA, 
8 April 2001)

* Zambie. Kaunda fils à l'UNIP  -  Tilyenji Kaunda, fils de l'ex-président 
Kenneth Kaunda, est devenu le nouveau président du Parti unique pour 
l'indépendance nationale (UNIP), le plus vieux parti de Zambie. Dans son 
discours inaugural, M. T. Kaunda a promis de rebâtir le parti dans la 
perspective de l'élection présidentielle et a exhorté les membres de l'UNIP 
à taire leurs différends et à serrer les rangs. Secrétaire général de 
l'UNIP, T. Kaunda a pris le contrôle du parti la semaine dernière des mains 
de Francis Nkoma, qui a été suspendu de son poste à l'issue d'une réunion 
du comité central tenue le 5 avril.   (PANA, Sénégal, 9 avril 2001)

* Zambie. Accident minier  -  La Zambie a fait appel aux services d'experts 
sud-africains en vue de retirer les corps de 10 mineurs coincés depuis le 8 
avril dans la mine à ciel ouvert de Nchanga, située dans la ville de 
Chingola. Les 10 mineurs ont été enterrés en même temps que leur lourd 
matériel dans cet accident considéré comme l'un des pires de l'histoire 
minière de la Zambie. Les causes de l'accident ne peuvent pas être 
déterminées immédiatement, mais selon des sources, les fortes 
précipitations qui sont tombées cette année dans la zone, pourraient être 
un facteur.   (PANA, Sénégal, 10 avril 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Press freedom under attack  -  5 April: Three independent 
Zimbabwean journalists have been charged with criminal defamation for 
articles implying that President Robert Mugabe is involved in corruption. 
Daily News Chief Editor Geoff Nyarota and two reporters, Sandra Nyaira and 
Julius Zava, wrote a series of pieces at the end of last year about the 
building of a new airport terminal. They alleged that the company that won 
the tender paid kickbacks to leading politicians and businessmen. The 
defamation charge comes at a time when the independent media is under 
increasing pressure. Mr Nyarota said that the newspaper would not be 
intimidated: "There is nothing criminally defamatory about these stories. 
Let then sue for civil defamation, if they want, and we believe we are more 
than prepared to defend ourselves." The journalists face a possible jail 
sentence if found guilty. The charges against the journalists were made on 
the same day that Zimbabwe's parliament passed a broadcasting law that 
could limit criticism of the government. 6 April: The Committee To protect 
Journalists calls on President Mugabe to drop the defamation charges. 9 
April: Opposition Movement for Democratic Change member of Parliament 
Welshman Ncube says the new Broadcasting Bill is "a ridiculous piece of 
legislation, to be contested in court of signed by the 
President".   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 April 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Veterans change tactics  -  Zimbabwe's war veterans are to 
switch their offensive from white-owned commercial farms to urban areas in 
preparation for next April's presidential elections, according to the 
veterans' chairman, Mr Chenjerai Hunzvi. He told an independent newspaper 
that his group would set up "structures" in every urban constituency to 
campaign for President Robert Mugabe in next year's poll. In the 
parliamentary elections last year, Mr Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party was 
effectively wiped out in urban areas. Mr Hunzvi says the war veterans have 
"an aggressive plan" to win back the support lost last year. The move 
coincides with reports that groups of war veterans have been taking the law 
into their own hands in urban areas intimidating employers and managers and 
forcing them to reverse retrenchment decisions. In one incident managers 
were beaten up before being taken to the headquarters of ZANU-PF where 
after three hours they agreed to reinstate workers who had been dismissed. 
Following the incident on 2 April, the business was closed for the 
week.   (Financial Times, UK, 5 April 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Civic groups prepare for "mass action"  -  On 3 April, Thoko 
Matshe, head of the National Constitutional Assembly said that civic groups 
in Zimbabwe, demanding a new national Constitution, are willing and able to 
take on the government. "We're talking mass action and civil disobedience 
on a wide scale, if government ignores the people", Matshe said. A recent 
conference organised by a broad coalition of civic groups and attended by 
hundreds of campaigners called for a new Constitution that lays out a 
proper bill of rights, limits the presidency, promotes freedom of 
expression and gives women equal rights.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 6 April 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Student killed in Harare as violence spreads  -  Violence in 
Zimbabwe has spread to the university campus in Harare with the death of a 
student and clashes with the police on 9 April. The police said the student 
died in a "stampede" while they were restoring order during disturbances at 
the University of Zimbabwe campus in Harare over the weekend, but students 
say their colleague was studying in his room in the early hours of the 
morning when police stormed the campus. Student leaders say the student was 
beaten and killed, after which the police took away property from his room 
covered in bloodstains. Police intervention on the campus followed unrest 
related to student demands for increased grants from the government. These 
turned violent when some students stoned motor vehicles, including one 
belonging to an opposition member of parliament, Learnmore Jongwe, who was 
visiting the campus. Students blame government supporters on the campus who 
they say damaged Mr Jongwe's car because they knew he was a leading member 
of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Following the weekend 
violence, student demonstrators clashed with police on 9 April on the main 
road from the university to the city. Most of the students were turned back 
by police using teargas, but some found their way into the city 
centre.   (Financial Times, UK, 10 April 2001)

Weekly anb0411.txt - #6/6
THE END


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Un homme meurt chaque fois que l'un d'entre nous se tait devant la tyrannie 
(W. Soyinka, Prix Nobel litterature) - Everytime somebody keep silent when 
faced with tyranny, someone else dies (Wole Syinka, Nobel Prize for 
Literature) *
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