Weekly anb10313.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 31-10-2001      PART #3/7

* Egypte. Nouveau tunnel sous le Caire  -  Le 28 octobre, le président 
Moubarak a inauguré un tunnel routier ultra-moderne, doté d'innovations 
dans le domaine de la sécurité, qui relie le centre du Caire aux voies 
périphériques, en passant sous le quartier historique d'Al-Azhar.   (La 
Croix, France, 29 octobre 2001)

* Ethiopia-Eritrea. Uncertainty at the World Bank  -  Demands by Ethiopia 
and Eritrea that their affairs at the World Bank be handled by different 
departments rather than one Horn of Africa department could delay 
Bank-supported programmes, including a second tranche of loans to Ethiopia 
worth US $500 million. The two neighbouring Horn of Africa countries have 
remained suspicious of each other since ending their war two years ago. On 
15 October, the BBC reported that the Horn of Africa department at the 
World Bank, headed by Oey Meesok, had been disbanded. Management of the 
affairs of Eritrea has temporarily been handed over to the World Bank's 
representative in Kenya, Harold Wackman, while a new department is to be 
created to take charge of Ethiopia and Sudan. However, as a new director 
has not yet been found for Ethiopia, Meesok will remain in charge of 
Ethiopia, although she has been appointed head of human development for the 
Africa region.   (IRIN, 17 October 2001)

* Gambie. Election présidentielle  -  Le 18 octobre, le premier tour des 
élections présidentielles s'est déroulé en Gambie. Lors de l'ouverture des 
bureaux de vote, l'opposition a protesté contre les procédures 
d'identification des électeurs. Selon cette procédure décidée la veille au 
soir par la Commission électorale indépendante, les électeurs n'avaient pas 
besoin d'être inscrits sur les listes pour voter sur simple présentation de 
cartes. L'opposition suspecte la fabrication massive de fausses cartes 
d'électeurs. - Le 19 octobre, la Commission électorale indépendante a 
annoncé que le président Yahya Jammeh avait remporté 52,96% des suffrages 
et était réélu pour un deuxième mandat de cinq ans. La mission des 
observateurs du Commonwealth a jugé que le scrutin avait été "généralement 
bon".   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 octobre 2001)

* The Gambia. Elections  -  18 October: Vote counting has started in the 
presidential election which took place peacefully despite rising tensions 
during the campaign. 19 October: Yahya Jammeh is re-elected President for a 
second five-year mandate. He won 52.96% of votes cast. The Commonwealth 
Observer Group endorses the result. The Gambia's Electoral Commission 
officially declares President Jammeh re-elected for a second five-year 
mandate. 22 October: President-elect Jammeh has granted amnesty to 
ministers of the erstwhile PPP regime he overthrew in the 1994 military 
takeover. 26 October: The Independent Electoral Commission has said that 
Gambian voters could return to the polls on 13 November to vote in a 
referendum on four bills elating to the country's political and justice 
system. 30 October: The authorities have closed down the country's main 
private radio station in what appears to be a crackdown on opposition and 
media. Baboucar Gueye, head of Citizen FM was told the station is being 
closed because its income tax had not been paid in full. But Mr Gueye says 
this explanation is "a pretext" for stopping the station's popular news and 
current affairs programmes.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 31 October 2001)

* Ghana. Social relief fund disbursed  -  The Ghanaian government has so 
far disbursed about US $1.3 million) to more than 3,000 beneficiaries under 
the Emergency Social Relief Programme (ESRP) aimed at improving people's 
living conditions, Ghana's JoyFM radio reported on 16 October. It reported 
Economic Planning and Regional Cooperation Minister, Paa Kwasi Nduom, as 
saying that the government would spend more money on the programme after 
the target of 700 billion cedis expected to be disbursed in the next three 
years has been achieved. Nduom who was speaking at the inauguration of the 
Central Regional ESRP Committee at Cape Coast, southern Ghana, said that 
monies derived from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative 
would be channelled into poverty reduction. He emphasised that the 
government would ensure that other poverty reduction interventions are put 
in place to ensure better living conditions for the population, the radio 
said. Central Regional Minister Isaac Edumadze gave the assurance that the 
committee would not interfere with the disbursement of funds but would see 
to it that implementing agencies make disbursement on merit, along the 
guidelines and prescribed disbursement procedures.   (IRIN, 17 October 2001)

* Guinea-Bissau. Extension of UNOGBIS  -  17 October: The UN 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the Security Council 
extend the mandate of the UN Peace-building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau 
(UNOGBIS) until 31 December 2002. In a letter dated 12 October to the 
President of the Security Council, Richard Ryan, Annan said that the 
overall situation in Guinea-Bissau remained "dangerously unstable. The 
authorities of Guinea-Bissau, in recent discussions with my Representative, 
have commended the work of UNOGBIS, and have requested the extension of its 
mandate until the next legislative and presidential elections," the 
statement quoted Annan as saying. The UN Office, whose current mandate 
expires on 31 December 2001, has been open since April 1999. The office, 
which has been active in peace-building efforts since mid-1999, helps 
promote reconciliation and strengthen democratic institutions, the UN 
statement said. 30 October: Parliament's vote of "no-confidence" against 
President Yala ushers in a new twist to the country's socio-political and 
institutional crises. This parliamentary defiance, followed a standoff 
between the Head of State and the magistracy, as well as workers in the 
country's economic department -- Finance, Customs, Mines, Transport and 
even the army, which the President recently faulted for interfering in 
national politics.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 31 October 2001)

* Guinée-Bissau. Le président désavoué  -  Le 23 octobre, le Parlement a 
retiré sa confiance au président Koumba Yala. Au cours de deux journées de 
débats, les députés se sont "indignés" contre des récentes décisions du 
président, qui a limogé une vingtaine de juges et menace de "mettre à la 
rue" 60% des fonctionnaires. Il a également menacé les politiciens qui 
voudraient le renverser et ordonné aux forces armées d'empêcher toute 
action de ce type. Par 53 voix contre 36 et 4 abstentions, les 
parlementaires ont adopté une résolution jugeant inconstitutionnels des 
actes pris par le chef de l'Etat à l'encontre de la magistrature. Le soir 
du même jour, M. Yala s'est adressé à la nation, invitant les populations à 
s'engager dans le processus démocratique et affirmant que les maux qui 
minent la justice déstabilisent le pays. Le lendemain, le Mouvement de la 
société civile pour la paix et la démocratie a critiqué la façon dont le 
président gère la crise et a appelé au dialogue.   (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 25 octobre 2001)

* Kenya/Ouganda. Lutte contre la criminalité  -  Le 18 octobre, à l'issue 
d'une réunion de deux jours, le Kenya et l'Ouganda ont décidé de renforcer 
leurs mécanismes de lutte contre le terrorisme, la criminalité 
transnationale et l'insécurité sur le lac Victoria. Ils renforceront 
notamment les mesures de contrôle des services d'immigration, de police et 
de douane aux frontières des deux pays. La prolifération des armes à feu 
contribue à une situation d'insécurité. Il a également été fait mention du 
commerce d'armes et du trafic de drogue sur le lac Victoria.   (D'après 
PANA, Sénégal, 18 octobre 2001)

* Kenya. Courrier contaminé  -  Pour la première fois, le bacille du 
charbon sort des frontières des Etats-Unis et fait son apparition en 
Afrique. Le premier cas de courrier contaminé a été découvert le 18 octobre 
au Kenya. Quatre personnes d'une même famille ont été exposées à la poudre 
blanche, testée positive, par une lettre postée à Atlanta (Etats-Unis) 
trois jours avant les attentats du 11 septembre. Le médecin kényan 
destinataire de la lettre et des membres de sa famille ont subi des examens 
et ne sont pas en danger. Deux autres enveloppes, dont une adressée à un 
responsable du programme pour l'environnement à Nairobi, contenaient de la 
poudre suspecte et sont en train d'être testées. Ces cas coïncident avec 
l'annonce de la condamnation à perpétuité de quatre membres d'Al Qaeda pour 
leur participation aux attentats contre les ambassades américaines de 
Nairobi et Dar es-Salaam.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 octobre 2001)

* Kenya. FBI investigates Kenyan anthrax case  -  The US Federal Bureau of 
Investigation is examining a letter containing anthrax spores sent from the 
US to a Kenyan citizen in Nairobi, which emerged on 18 October as the first 
confirmed case of bio-terrorism outside the US since the September 11 
attacks. According to a statement issued on 19 October by the US embassy, 
Nairobi-based personnel of the FBI and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) 
were in contact with the Kenyan government to "assist investigation of the 
apparent criminal cases in Kenya, and establish whether any links to 
anthrax attacks in the United States or the international campaign against 
terrorism". Sources said they would conduct further tests on the contents 
of the package -- including possible similarities to the strains found in 
US anthrax attacks - and investigate their source. "These incidents again 
show that the threat of terrorism is world-wide,"added Johnnie Carson, the 
US Ambassador to Kenya. "American assistance and support will be made 
available to help protect Kenyans from bio-terrorism." Sam Ongeri, Kenya's 
health minister, announced on 18 October that a letter from Atlanta, routed 
via Miami, contained a white powder which had tested positive in smear, 
stain and culture tests for anthrax. Four people had been exposed, but Mr 
Ongeri said the situation was under control and that Kenya -- a country 
where anthrax is endemic in cattle -- was prepared for any eventualities. 
The letter was sent on September 8 -- three days before the US attacks -- 
but was not received until October 9, and was opened on October 11. It 
remained unclear why Kenya should have been targeted, but analysts 
suggested possible links to the August 1998 bombing of the US embassy in 
Nairobi, in which more than 200 people died and which has been linked to 
Osama bin Laden. Final test results identifying the sub-strain are expected 
in the next two or three days. Although Mr Ongeri did not name the 
recipient -- citing "doctor-patient confidentiality" -- a senior health 
ministry official said the letter had been sent from Georgia by a US 
relative via EMS (express mail service) registered mail, containing cloth 
samples. It later transpired the letter had been routed via Florida. 
Several other anthrax scares, including a suspicious-looking letter sent to 
the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi from Pakistan, turned out to be 
negative. Two further cases are under investigation, including one from TNT 
courier services received at Nairobi's international airport on 18 
October.   (Financial Times, UK, 20 October 2001)

* Kenya. "Let Kenyans pick their own leader"  -  Clergymen and politicians 
have welcomed President Moi's announcement that he will retire at the end 
of his term -- but some were quick to point out that Kenyans have the right 
to choose his successor without any pressure. The President should not be 
seen to impose a leader on Kenyans when he retires in less than 13 months' 
time as required by the Constitution, several leaders said in response to 
his Kenyatta Day declaration.   (Daily Nation, Kenya, 22 October 2001)

* Libéria. 300.000 déplacés  -  Le président libérien Charles Taylor a 
affirmé, le 18 octobre, que les combats entre troupes gouvernementales et 
rebelles dans le nord du pays provoquaient une "grave crise", ayant 
entraîné le déplacement d'environ 300.000 civils. Selon lui, quatre villes 
du nord (Zorzor, Voinjama et Foya) se sont complètement vidées de leurs 
habitants. Les derniers combats se sont déroulés autour de la ville de 
Lolahun, près de la frontière guinéenne. Le Libéria et la Guinée s'accusent 
mutuellement de soutenir la rébellion de l'un chez l'autre. Taylor a encore 
salué le travail des agences humanitaires, estimant toutefois qu'il 
faudrait au moins doubler l'aide.   (AP, 19 octobre 2001)

* Liberia. President turns on Amnesty  -  Liberian President Charles Taylor 
has rejected accusations from the human rights organisation Amnesty 
International that his security forces have meted out brutal treatment to 
critics of the government. Mr Taylor said Amnesty had not been in Liberia 
to prove what it alleged. He said the country's anti-terrorist unit, led by 
his son and criticised by Amnesty as committing flagrant rights abuses and 
rape, was the best trained and most disciplined force in Liberia. Amnesty 
said in its report earlier this week that the Liberian security forces had 
used torture on students, journalists and defenders of human rights, and 
urged an end to what it said was the impunity enjoyed by them. But Mr 
Taylor said: "I have a problem with some of these Holy Marys and John the 
Baptists."   (BBC News, UK, 19 October 2001)

Weekly anb1031.txt - End of part 3/7