Weekly anb05316.txt #8

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 31-05-2001      PART #6/8

* Sierra Leone. Désarmement  -  25mai. Ce sont à présent 2.500 
ex-combattants du RUF et des Forces de défense civile qui ont adhéré au 
plan de désarmement prévu par les accords de paix d'Abuja et de Freetown. 
La procédure prévoit qu'ils détruisent eux-mêmes leurs armes au moment de 
leur remise, en présence de membres de la Minusil. Les ex-combattants sont 
alors pourvus de documents et emmenés dans des camps où ils reçoivent une 
assistance en vue de leur réinsertion dans la société. L'opération, qui 
s'est effectuée dans les districts du nord-ouest, s'étendra à partir de ce 
25 mai à la zone de Lunsar. Ce 25 mai encore, plus de 600 enfants soldats 
âgés de 8 à 15 ans, forcés de combattre dans les rangs du RUF, sont remis 
au représentant spécial de l'Onu, M. Adeniji. Le 30 mai, a commencé le 
processus de désarmement et de réinsertion dans le district oriental de 
Kono. L'opération a été avancée parce que, ces dernières semaines, cette 
zone a été le théâtre d'escarmouches entre rebelles et milices 
pro-gouvernementales (Kamajors). D'autre part, à la demande du RUF, l'armée 
sierra-léonaise a déployé ses formations dans le district septentrional de 
Kambia, le long de la frontière guinéenne. Les dirigeants du RUF semblent 
enfin déterminés à éviter de nouveaux incidents.   (D'après Misna, Italie, 
25-30 mai 2001)

* Sierra Leone. Rebels free child soldiers  -  Rebels in Sierra Leone have 
released nearly 600 child soldiers as part of a process of ending the west 
African country's decade-long civil war. Oluyemi Adeniji, the head of the 
United Nations mission in Sierra Leone, said the release "clearly 
demonstrates the commitment of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to the 
total stoppage of war". It comes a week after the RUF released more than 
200 child soldiers -- but thousands of children have been forced or cajoled 
into the conflict. Children have carried out some of the worst atrocities 
of the war, including hacking off the limbs of enemies and civilians. The 
release of the child soldiers is another sign that progress is being made 
towards ending the civil war in the country, after an announcement ten days 
ago that rebels and pro-government militias had agreed to start disarming. 
A joint statement after the talks said both sides had agreed to give up 
child soldiers who had fought for them after being abducted from, or 
cajoled, to leave their villages.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 26 May 2001)

* Somalia. Somaliland votes on its future  -  Ten years after they 
unilaterally broke away from Somalia, the people of Somaliland vote on 31 
May in a referendum on a new constitution that would in effect confirm 
their independence. The region declared itself a separate state from 
Somalia when that country was descending into civil war in 1991. The BBC 
Africa analyst says Somaliland's leaders have achieved a level of stability 
not seen in the rest of Somalia --but its independence has never been 
accepted internationally.   (BBC News, UK, 31 May 2001)

* Somaliland. Référendum  -  Les habitants du Somaliland, ce petit 
territoire au nord-ouest de la Somalie qui a proclamé son indépendance il y 
a dix ans, sont appelés ce 31 mai à ratifier par référendum leur première 
Constitution. Le référendum devrait faire avaliser l'indépendance qui n'a 
jamais été reconnue par la communauté internationale. Le secrétaire général 
de l'OUA, M. Salim Ahmed Salim, a encore affirmé la semaine dernière que 
l'organisation panafricaine ne soutient aucune action mettant en cause 
l'unité et la souveraineté de la Somalie.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 
31 mai 2001)

* South Africa. Inquiry begins into Pretoria arms deal  -  South African 
investigators begin public hearings on 28 May into alleged corruption by 
senior politicians in the hugely controversial purchase of £4bn worth of 
weapons from European manufacturers. But scepticism about the effectiveness 
of the public protector's investigation -- one of three by government 
agencies looking into the accusations of corruption -- has grown as the 
African National Congress has sought to use its overwhelming majority in 
parliament to limit the political damage. The public hearings will examine 
dozens of allegations of financial irregularities, nepotism and other 
wrongdoing. One part of the deal under scrutiny is how British Aerospace 
won a £420m contract to supply training planes for fighter pilots. South 
Africa's air force chiefs selected an Italian aircraft that is cheap and 
modern, but the politicians later amended the specifications to favour the 
ageing British Hawks, twice the price of the Italian tender. The government 
says the changes were made for operational reasons. The air force has 
quietly derided the claim. The investigators are examining claims of a link 
between the contract and BAe's funding of overseas trips for cabinet 
ministers and MPs, and its donation of £500,000 to the ANC's military 
veterans' association. The weapons deal came under fire even before the 
contracts were signed. Critics, ranging from the unions to churches, 
questioned why the country needed to spend twice its housing budget on 
warships and fighter aircraft. The finance ministry warned that such vast 
spending could destabilise the economy, particularly if the rand fell 
sharply against the dollar. The government dismissed such fears, claiming 
that the deal would create 65,000 jobs and bring in three times the cost of 
the weapons in foreign investment and trade.   (The Guardian, UK, 28 May 2001)

* South Africa. Arms inquiry  -  28 May: Public hearings in South Africa 
into a controversial $6 billion arms deal have been postponed -- after 
getting bogged down in legal arguments as they get underway, today. The 
two-week delay is agreed after the Ministry of Defence requests more time 
to prepare its evidence, and local broadcasters ask for permission to 
televise the proceedings. The hearings are intended to look into 
allegations of fraud and corruption surrounding the deal which was signed a 
year and a half ago.   (BBC News, UK, 28 May 2001)

* South Africa. Mbeki blames big business over economy  -  On 29 May, Thabo 
Mbeki, the South African president, criticised large corporations for not 
doing enough to foster economic growth and black empowerment within the 
economy. He said he intended to intervene to ensure that the large 
companies that dominate the South African economy played a greater role in 
achieving economic growth. "I want to engage these large corporations on an 
individual basis and ask them about their investment plans," he said in 
interview with the Financial Times. While the government had done all it 
could to put in place a strong macroeconomic framework, the private sector 
had lagged behind. "The government has done all it could to create the 
right climate and to attract investments, but the response from the private 
sector has not been as good as it could be," he said. Mr Mbeki also laid 
some of the blame for the perceived failure of black empowerment at the 
door of large business. "One of the reasons black economic empowerment 
stalled is that many companies simply did not take it on board as part of 
their challenges," he said.   (Financial Times, UK, 30 May 2001)

* South Africa. Truth Commission closes shop  -  They came by the 
thousands: traumatized mothers wanting to know the fate of their children, 
unapologetic policemen seeking absolution for unspeakable crimes and 
self-righteous politicians, shunning responsibility for the brutality they 
presided over. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up following 
South Africa's first all-race elections in 1994, laid bare the cruelty of 
the racist apartheid regime and worked to help the country come to terms 
with its past by granting amnesty to perpetrators willing to tell the whole 
story behind their crimes. As the commission's last remaining committee 
prepares to shut down on 31 May, many South Africans are still debating the 
success of their country's historic exercise in confronting its 
past.   (InfoBeat USA, 30 May 2001)

* Afrique du Sud. Visite de L. Jospin  -  Le Premier ministre français 
Lionel Jospin est arrivé au Cap, ce 31 mai peu après 9h., pour une visite 
officielle de deux jours à l'Afrique du Sud, destinée à resserrer les liens 
politiques et économiques de la France avec la première puissance du 
continent africain. M. Jospin est accompagné de ses ministres des Affaires 
étrangères, de l'Agriculture et du Commerce extérieur. Après un entretien 
avec le président Mbeki, trois accords seront signés, sur la coopération 
bilatérale, les opérations de sauvetage en mer et l'entraide judiciaire 
entre les deux pays. Au cours de l'après-midi, M. Jospin s'adressera aux 
deux Chambres du Parlement. Le 1er juin, il se rendra à Johannesburg, où il 
rencontrera Nelson Mandela et participera à un forum de 300 chefs 
d'entreprises.   (AP, USA, 31 mai 2001)

* Sudan. Sudan to halt air strikes  -  The Sudanese Government says it is 
halting its air strikes against rebels in the south of the country and in 
the Nuba mountains. An announcement on state radio said the move is 
intended to promote peace, and the government hoped for an immediate 
response from the rebels, and support from the international community. The 
statement says that the ceasefire will come into force on 25 May. A 
spokesman for the rebel group the Sudanese People's Liberation Army 
dismisses the government statement as a lie. The statement does say that 
the pledge will not violate "the rights of the armed forces to protect its 
members and their supply lines". Nevertheless the armed forces back the 
decision to end the bombing. However, on 24 May, the government bombs Tonj 
in the Bahr el Ghazal region.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 May 2001)

* Soudan. Offensive aux monts Nouba  -  Depuis le 24 mai, l'armée 
gouvernementale conduit une offensive dans la zone des monts Nouba (centre 
du Soudan, Kordofan méridional), rapporte l'agence Misna. L'attaque a été 
engagée à l'artillerie lourde. Il y aurait des victimes parmi les civils, 
contraints à fuir les villages et à trouver des abris de fortune. La 
situation reste confuse et la zone est quasiment isolée. La piste aérienne 
utilisée par les agences humanitaires, située dans la plaine entre Kauda et 
Gidel, aurait été conquise par les forces gouvernementales. Les rebelles du 
SPLA ne sont pas assez nombreux pour contrer l'attaque et ils se 
trouveraient dans l'impossibilité de recevoir des renforts. Des violents 
combats sont en effet également en cours dans la zone du Upper Nile, riche 
région pétrolifère située à quelque 200 km au sud-est des monts 
Nouba.   (Misna, Italie, 28 mai 2001)

* Sudan. Peace talks planned  -  The Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, 
and the main rebel leader, John Garang of the Sudanese People's Liberation 
Army (SPLA), are to attend a summit aimed at ending the country's 18 year 
civil war. The peace summit, organised by the regional Inter-governmental 
Authority on Development (IGAD) is due to take place in the Kenyan capital, 
Nairobi, in June. It will be the first such summit between the two leaders 
since 1997. They are expected to be joined by leaders from Kenya, Uganda, 
Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.   (BBC News, UK, 28 May 2001)

* Soudan. Campagne contre l'exploitation pétrolière  -  Le 28 mai, une 
cinquantaine d'organisations humanitaires européennes ont lancé une 
campagne pour la suspension immédiate des activités des compagnies 
pétrolières au Soudan, pour protester contre la guerre et les violations 
des droits de l'homme dans ce pays. Elles appellent les compagnies 
étrangères à s'abstenir de toute activité "jusqu'à ce qu'un accord de paix 
soit signé, et à dénoncer toute violation des droits humains, tels que les 
bombardements de cibles civiles et les déplacements forcés". Les 
organisations demandent aussi à l'Union européenne de promouvoir 
l'interdiction temporaire de tout investissement d'entreprises européennes 
dans le secteur pétrolier au Soudan, et aux Etats membres de veiller à ce 
que les entreprises de leur pays n'investissent pas, tant que la paix ne 
sera pas revenue. "Les revenus du pétrole alimentent une guerre qui a déjà 
fait 2 millions de morts", conclut le communiqué. Le groupe TotalFinaElf, 
mis en cause par le Secours catholique/Caritas France, a affirmé n'avoir 
aujourd'hui aucune activité industrielle au Soudan et que sa concession 
dans ce pays était gelée.   (D'après AFP, France, 28 mai 2001)

* Soudan. El-Tourabi en résidence surveillée  -  Le 29 mai, l'opposant 
islamiste Hassan el-Tourabi a été libéré de prison, après plus de trois 
mois de détention, et assigné à résidence dans une maison appartenant à 
l'Etat. M. Tourabi avait été arrêté le 21 février, avec plusieurs cadres de 
son parti, et maintenu depuis cette date en détention dans la prison de 
Cooper, à Khartoum.   (Le Figaro, France, 31 mai 2001)

Weekly anb0531.txt - #6/8