Weekly anb10186.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 18-10-2001      PART #6/7

* Nigeria. Riots engulf Kano  -  14 October: Hundreds of non-Muslims have 
fled to safety in police and army installations in the northern Nigerian 
city of Kano after two days of violence between Christians and Muslims left 
at least 16 people dead. A night-time curfew was imposed on the city, and 
state police commissioner Yakubu Bello Uba said police had been ordered to 
"shoot troublemakers on sight". Other reports suggest the death toll in 
Kano could be much higher. The Reuters news agency quotes fleeing residents 
as saying that as many as 200 people were killed during the night of 13 
October in the suburb of Zangon. Another report said that at least six of 
the dead were schoolgirls who had been on their way to sit exams. On 12 
October, a peaceful protest had been staged against the US attacks on 
Afghanistan, but violence broke out when youths began setting fire to cars 
and religious buildings. Although long-running battles between Muslims and 
Christians in the country have led to thousands of deaths in the past year, 
officials are playing down religion as the cause of the new violence. Kano 
state government spokesman Ibrahim Gwawargwa is blaming the rioting on 
"hoodlums" hijacking the protest and looting shops owned by both Christians 
and Muslims. 15 October: The Nigerian army is maintaining a heavy presence 
on the streets of Kano. The situation is very unstable and the scarcity of 
reliable information is making the situation worse, with rumours of renewed 
conflicts spreading through the city like wild fire. All have so far proven 
false. 16 October: Kano is tense.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 October 2001)

* Nigeria. Church leaders decry Kano riots  -  Christian leaders in Nigeria 
have today deplored the sectarian clashes going on in the city of Kano as 
been unfortunate while calling on the federal government to act decisively 
in seeing the carnage is immediately brought to another. In a Statement 
signed by Father Gabriel Osu, his Communications' Director, Archbishop 
Olubumnmi Okogie of the Catholic Diocese of Lagos condemned the non 
challenging attitudes of the federal government to the wave of the violent 
clashes that had for some time been rocking different parts of Nigeria. 
"This attitude by the government gives the impression that it either the 
government is incapable of effective action or that it is under some kind 
of pressure." Father Okogie also affirmed that the war against terrorism is 
not a religious war, but an attempt to make the world a safer place. "It is 
time for the federal government to curb the excesses of misguided elements 
who spill blood in the name of religion," he said. Archbishop Ignatius 
Kaigama of the Catholic diocese of Jos condemned the activities of those 
who use religion as a tool to foster selfish, economic, political and 
ethnic interests which often leads to social disharmony and unrest in the 
country. The prelate lamented that several lives and much property had in 
the past been destroyed in different parts of the country as a result of 
the religious unrest. He warned the perpetrators of such acts to desist, in 
order not to attract the wrath of God. The bishop attributed ethnic 
conflicts in Nigeria to poverty, ignorance and the feeling of insecurity. 
"When one tribe wishes to establish superiority over another, when one 
religion wants to dominate, when one clan wants to outdo others, the result 
is social unrest",he said. He called on the government to fully implement 
the poverty eradication programme and not use it as "a political gimmick 
aimed at lining the pockets of some government functionaries." (...) The 
Chairman of the World Council of the Methodist Church, and the Chairman of 
the Christian Association of Nigeria, Dr Sunday Mbang, expressed worries at 
the number of deaths in the Kano riots. (...) (Editor's note: Pope John 
Paul II has condemned the confrontations between Christians and Muslims in 
Nigeria. He said: "Another episode of cruel violence has been added to the 
tragic world situation of these days".)   (Cath. Secret. of Nigeria, 16 
October 2001)

* Rwanda. Lutte contre la pauvreté  -  Le Fonds monétaire international 
(FMI) a accordé un prêt de 12 millions de dollars au Rwanda au titre du 
programme de lutte contre la pauvreté conclu entre le Fonds et Kigali en 
juin 1998. Le Rwanda a utilisé sur ce programme, d'un total de $92 
millions, 67 millions jusqu'à maintenant, a précisé le FMI.   (Le Figaro, 
France, 12 octobre 2001)

* Rwanda. Genocide death sentences  -  The trial of 17 genocide suspects in 
the Rwandan province of Gikongoro has ended. This type of group trial is 
one of several initiatives by the Rwandan Government to speed up justice 
for genocide suspects. Five of the 17 people tried were sentenced to death 
for genocide and crimes against humanity. A further seven were given life 
in prison, and two were acquitted.The remaining three received sentences of 
seven years. Legal sources in Gikongoro said one of those who had got seven 
years had his sentence reduced from 12 years initially because he confessed 
to his crimes. The government attaches great importance to confession in an 
attempt to heal the scars left by the genocide. Rwanda has so far tried 
more than 3,000 genocide suspects, and sentenced more than 500 of them to 
death. But well over 100,000 are still crammed into the country's prisons 
awaiting trial. The problem of the backlog of cases is worsened by the fact 
that most of the country's judges perished in the genocide. People 
calculate that if trials continue at the current rate, tens of thousands of 
genocide suspects will die in prison before their cases are heard. In an 
attempt to speed things up, the Rwandan authorities are introducing a 
system of community justice called "gacaca courts", where judges appointed 
at community level are given summary training. Suspects are brought before 
villages, and local people either acquit or condemn their neighbours. The 
gacaca courts will start functioning next year.   (BBC News, UK, 14 October 
2001)

* Rwanda. Décompte des jugements  -  Entre décembre 1996 et juin 2001, il y 
a eu 5.927 jugements et arrêts rendus par les juridictions rwandaises dans 
les procès de génocide, selon un décompte de la ligue LIPRODHOR. Le premier 
procès a commencé en décembre 1996. Depuis, le nombre des procès augmente 
d'année en année: 346 en 1997, 928 en 1998, 1.318 en 1999, 2.458 en 2000 et 
877 dans la première moitié de 2001. LIPRODHOR explique cette accélération 
notamment par le renforcement des moyens des tribunaux, les procès 
collectifs et le recours des détenus à la procédure d'aveu. La ligue 
constate aussi que le nombre de condamnations à mort diminue sensiblement 
tous les ans. En revanche, le pourcentage des acquittements est globalement 
constant.   (Agence Hirondelle, Arusha, 15 octobre 2001)

* Senegal. African leaders mull anti-terrorist measures  -  More than ten 
heads of state and delegates from twenty other African countries have begun 
a meeting in Senegal to discuss terrorism and security issues. Senegal's 
President Wade says he will table a draft text for an anti-terrorism pact. 
He urges the USA to "impose peace" in the Middle East. Senegal's foreign 
minister says Africa must not allow itself to be the soft underbelly of the 
international system in countering terrorists.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 
October 2001)

* Sierra Leone. Faire la paix  -  Le gouvernement et le Front 
révolutionnaire uni (RUF) ont convenu d'aplanir leurs différants et 
d'accélérer le processus de paix dans le pays. Le ministre de la Justice et 
le président du Conseil pacifique et politique du RUF ont signé, le 11 
octobre à Freetown, l'accord instaurant la trêve. Les deux parties ont 
également convenu d'accélérer le calendrier du processus de désarmement, de 
la démobilisation et de la réintégration. Une prochaine réunion entre le 
RUF et le gouvernement est prévue le 8 novembre prochain.   (PANA, Sénégal, 
12 octobre 2001)

* Somalia. Violence rocks Mogadishu  -  13 October: Reports from Somalia 
say more than 20 people may have been killed in the latest outbreak of 
fighting between militia groups and forces loyal to the country's fragile 
new government. The suburbs of Mogadishu have once again exploded into 
violence, forcing residents of the Somali capital to run for their lives. 
Mortars and heavy gunfire were heard on the morning of 12 October in the 
south-east of the city. As usual, local militias were reported to be 
roaming the streets in their "technicals" -- outlandish battle wagons 
mounted with anti-aircraft guns. One report quoted a local doctor as saying 
that three children were among those killed. The violence apparently 
started on 12 October. 14 October: Fighting continues in Mogadishu. 
President Hassan's troops are clashing with militiamen loyal to the warlord 
Muse Sudi Yalahow.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 15 October 2001)

* Somalie. Affrontements à Mogadiscio  -  Selon l'AFP, au moins 22 
personnes ont été tuées et un grand nombre d'autres blessées lors 
d'affrontements entre forces rivales dans la capitale somalienne 
Mogadiscio, le samedi 13 octobre. La veille, des combats avaient éclaté 
entre forces loyales au gouvernement national de transition (GNT) somalien 
et miliciens du chef de guerre Musa Sudi Yalahow. Selon Le Figaro, au moins 
trois personnes ont encore été tuées et cinq blessées au cours du troisième 
jour d'affrontements. Le GNT est soutenu par la communauté internationale, 
mais n'est pas reconnu par la plupart des chefs de faction. - D'autre part, 
selon l'agence Misna, un convoi du CICR a été pris en embuscade par un 
groupe d'hommes armés, le 16 octobre, alors qu'il se dirigeait vers deux 
hôpitaux à Mogadiscio. Un agent de l'escorte a été tué et un autre 
grièvement blessé. Le Groupe de coordination des secours en Somalie a lancé 
un appel pour renforcer rapidement les efforts humanitaires en faveur des 
populations somaliennes; plus de 450.000 seraient en danger de mort suite 
aux conséquences dramatiques de la sécheresse.   (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 15-18 octobre 2001)

* Somalia. Starvation threat  -  The World Food Programme (WFP) says there 
has been a slow response to its appeal for Somalia where more than half a 
million people are reported to be facing possible starvation. It says the 
situation is very serious in the south after the rains and the crops 
failed. The WFP is appealing for 40,000 tonnes of food, without which 
Somalia will be in serious trouble. The WFP is trying to expand a programme 
in which people are given food in exchange for work.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 
17 October 2001)

* South Africa. Unions reject pay deal  -  One of the main trade unions in 
South Africa has rejected the government's imposition of a 5% pay rise for 
one million civil servants. A spokesman for the Education, Health and 
Allied Workers Union says his view reflects that of the South African Trade 
Unions. The government had originally offered an average increase of 
six-and a -half per cent, but said it was conditional on the unions 
accepting its right to lay off thousands of workers. Four of the 12 unions 
involves are reported to have accepted the latest deal but the rest have 
refused to sign any agreement resulting in job losses.   (BBC News, UK, 11 
October 2001)

* South Africa. Security investment boost  -  Foreign companies have been 
given the green light to continue investing in South African security 
firms, after the government threw out a controversial plan to block 
overseas investment in the sector. Fear had existed that a foreign presence 
in the booming domestic security firm market was a risk, particularly in 
the light of the recent attacks in the US. By some estimates, the security 
industry employs almost 300,000 people in South Africa, enjoying strong 
demand for its services from customers who distrust the local police 
service and are unnerved by the high crime rate. Foreign companies have 
invested some 3bn rand or $327m in the sector. Chubb, Securicor Gray, Group 
Four and ADT are already active in the South African market and had faced 
the prospect of having to sell their holdings there."It was felt it was a 
security risk that such a strategic industry was left in the hands of 
foreign investors," Sven Lunsche, editor of Jonik Online, publisher of 
Business Day and Sunday Times, said. "They also felt that strong foreign 
investment would hinder black empowerment." In practice, it could have been 
difficult for black-controlled companies to make huge-scale investments to 
buy out foreign investors. The proposal was put forward two weeks ago by 
members of the African National Congress on the parliamentary committee for 
safety and security.   (BBC News, UK, 11 October 2001)

* Afrique du Sud. Expulsion de Zimbabwéens  -  Des officiels de 
l'immigration sud-africaine, aidés par la police et l'armée, vont commencer 
le 15 octobre à expulser entre 10.000 et 15.000 ressortissants du Zimbabwe 
voisin, employés dans des fermes du nord du pays. Ces personnes sont soit 
en situation irrégulière, soit en fin de titre de séjour. Le gouvernement a 
signé en octobre 2000 un accord avec les fermiers du nord du pays pour 
mettre un terme, sur une période d'un an, à l'emploi d'ouvriers agricoles 
étrangers et "commencer à engager des Sud-Africains". La province du nord, 
où travaillent la plupart de ces Zimbabwéens, est l'une des plus pauvres du 
pays.   (La Libre Belgique, 12 octobre 2001)

* South Africa. Privatisation hit by market turbulence  -  Poor market 
conditions have brought South Africa's privatisation programme to a 
standstill, according to a report on the restructuring of state assets by 
BusinessMap, an investor strategy consultancy. "Market turbulence this year 
will not see significant South African privatisations because the two major 
restructuring moves the market could count on -- Telkom and the state's 
M-Cell [a cellular telephone company] -- are both in the telecommunications 
sector, which has lost its sparkle," the report, published on 11 October, 
said. The government has committed itself to an initial public offering of 
Telkom before the end of March. A Telkom spokesman said on 11 October that 
a prospectus was being readied for next month followed by an investor 
roadshow in January. "Not much has been privatised this year," said Reg 
Rumney, BusinessMap's director. "In fact, nothing. Telkom is the big one 
that will be the log-jam breaker. The state should have sold the non-core 
assets by now."   (Financial Times, UK, 12 October 2001)

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