Weekly anb10317.txt #7

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

* Uganda. Modernisation programme  -  The Government is soon to undertake a 
$100 million public sector reform programme to modernize the civil service 
and workforce as a whole, government officials say. Under the Uganda 
Capacity and Performance Enhancement Programme (CAPEB), the civil service 
will adopt business-like strategies, including Result Oriented Management 
and output-oriented budgeting. The CAPEB targets professional bodies like 
the 1,500 strong Uganda Institute of Engineers, which will be restructured 
along UK standards. Makerere University will attain 100% staffing (up from 
50%) and be upgraded in several sectors. The World Bank team under Denyse 
Movin, completed the CAPEB blueprint. It is hoped to fill at least 56,000 
skilled jobs in the public sector and attempt to lessen excessive reliance 
on expatriates -- estimated to be 5,000 in 900 projects in the public 
sector. The Capacity Building Secretariat will implement the CAPEB, and 
will be observed by an inter-ministerial team, from the Ministry of Public 
Service and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic 
Development.   (Crespo Sebunya, ANB-BIA, Uganda, 15 October 2001)

* Uganda. President Museveni in the driving seat  -  Tongues have been 
wagging in the capital, Kampala, since a Ugandan newspaper on 17 October 
reported that their president has just acquired his first driving licence. 
The Monitor newspaper said President Yoweri Museveni had been issued with a 
permit, and there are no previous records of him having had one. However, 
the paper was unable to unearth anyone who could confirm that he had in 
fact taken a driving test. Indeed, it seems inconceivable that anyone would 
have dared test President Museveni's driving skills before issuing him with 
a licence. Businessman George Mwenda suggested as much. "He's the 
president. Did he really go through a driving test like the rest of us do? 
I bet it is a fix." There is also a theory being put forward that his 
acquiring of a driving licence could be Mr Museveni starting to prepare for 
civilian life, despite his being re-elected earlier this year for another 
term in office.   (BBC News, UK, 18 October 2001)

* Vatican. Message du synode des évêques  -  A l'issue du synode des 
évêques, réuni à Rome depuis le 30 septembre, un "Message du synode au 
peuple de Dieu" a été rendu public le 26 octobre. Le texte fait une large 
place au problème de la faim et de la pauvreté dans le monde. On y lit 
notamment: "80% de la population de la planète vivent avec 20% de leurs 
revenus et 1.200 millions de personnes doivent 'vivre' avec moins d'un 
dollar par jour (...). Certains maux endémiques, trop longtemps 
sous-estimés, peuvent conduire au désespoir des populations entières. 
Comment se taire face au drame persistant de la faim et de l'extrême 
pauvreté, à une époque où l'humanité possède les moyens d'un partage 
équitable?". Les évêques évoquent aussi la situation des réfugiés et des 
immigrés, les ravages du paludisme, l'expansion du sida, l'analphabétisme, 
le manque d'avenir des enfants et des jeunes abandonnés à la rue, 
l'exploitation des femmes, le trafic de la drogue et le commerce des 
armes.   (Texte paru dans La Croix, France, 29 octobre 2001)

* Zambia. President Chiluba in the news  -  19 October: Zambian police have 
arrested three men suspected of stealing President Frederick Chiluba's last 
16 months' pay. The three, a businessman and two employees of Barclays Bank 
in Ndola, are accused of conspiring to divert the president's salary from 
his account. According to the independent Post newspaper, which first came 
out with the story, the total sum stolen from President Chiluba was 82 
million kwacha ($21,578). There was no immediate comment from the 
president, who appears not to have missed his last 16 months' pay until the 
fraud was discovered. Police said the businessman's account bore exactly 
the same names as those of the president, and the bank employees were 
therefore able to change account numbers on order slips without any 
questions asked. "Each time the salary came into the bank, the employees... 
would cross out his account number and put it in the name of their friend 
with similar names to the president," a bank source told the Post. "The 
friend would then withdraw the money and [they would] share it amongst 
themselves. It seems this has been going on for the last 16 months," the 
source said. 25 October: President Chiluba addresses the nation with a 
farewell speech expressing pride over his ten-year rule, but apologising 
for mistakes. 27 October: The Electoral Commission has issued new 
guidelines to govern the lodging of nomination papers by candidates in the 
forthcoming polls. 28 October: The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy 
calls for peaceful general elections, and party insiders say the vote could 
be held as early as November. The MMD's presidential candidate, Levy 
Patrick Mwanawasa, urges political opponents to tone down their 
rhetoric.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 October 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Shortages, lay-offs and starvation  -  17 October: It is common 
knowledge that price controls lead to shortages of the very commodities we 
would like people to access," Malvern Rusike, chief executive of the 
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry has said. "It is futile to try to 
address the symptoms of the economy's problems and avoid the real issues, 
nor does it make sense to control the price of the end product whilst key 
input prices are market determined." President Robert Mugabe has said he 
will press ahead with price controls introduced on bread and other 
commodities to curb soaring prices in the midst of Zimbabwe's worst 
economic crisis since independence. Mugabe has warned that the state would 
take over any businesses that closed if they blamed their closure on price 
controls. 18 October: About three million people in southern Zimbabwe are 
reported to be facing starvation as critical food shortages bite. Since 
independence, the Southern African country has always been a net exporter 
of food but now aid agencies working in the area say the situation is 
desperate. No deaths from starvation have been officially reported in the 
area but relief agencies say the situation will worsen if food aid is not 
sent quickly. In some areas, thousands have resorted to eating tree roots 
simply to stay alive, but even the bland roots are now in scarce supply. 
Estimates by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 
say Zimbabwe will need to import a total of about 570,000 metric tonnes of 
maize and wheat to avert starvation and replenish its reserves. So far, 
some 2.5 million have registered with the government for emergency food 
aid. According to Mark Karinda, the national drought coordinator of 
Christian Care International which is working in the affected areas, they 
have had to introduce a feeding scheme for children. Another aid agency, 
Care International, reported that in the southern Provinces of Midlands and 
Masvingo, 100,000 children are already taking a supplementary meal a day. 
For some of these children, school is the one place they are assured of a 
square meal each day and worth the long distance they have to walk. Last 
month Zimbabwean Agriculture Minister Joseph Made admitted the country was 
to import 100 000 tons of maize immediately from neighbouring South Africa 
to avert the looming food shortages.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 19 October 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Armes et pénuries  -  D'énormes quantités d'armes légères et de 
munitions affluent au Zimbabwe malgré l'embargo décrété l'an dernier par 
les Etats-Unis et l'Union européenne, révèle l'hebdomadaire zimbabwéen The 
Financial Gazette dans son édition du 18 octobre, selon une dépêche de 
l'agence Misna. L'information est le fruit d'un mois et demi d'enquête. Les 
trafiquants évitent l'interdiction internationale en passant par la Namibie 
et le Congo-RDC. La marchandise est envoyée aux casernes militaires, dans 
l'attente d'être distibuée en partie aux militants du ZANU-PF, le parti du 
président Mugabe. Des rendez-vous politiques attendent le pays, en 
particulier la campagne pour les élections générales de l'an prochain. 
Selon des sources militaires, l'entraînement et l'équipement de nombreux 
miltants, dont les vétérans de guerre, auraient déjà commencé. - D'autre 
part, selon l'agence PANA, les autorités zimbabwéennes ont accusé, le 18 
octobre, les exploitants agricoles blancs de stocker du maïs pour créer des 
pénuries artificielles. Elles ont qualifié cet acte de collusion avec 
l'opposition, en prélude aux élections. Le Zimbabwe envisage d'importer 
100.000 tonnes de maïs de l'Afrique du Sud pour faire face au déficit 
provoqué par la mauvaise pluviométrie de la dernière saison agricole. Mais 
une agence de commercialisation des céréales a indiqué que de récentes 
inspections ont révélé l'existence de 200.000 tonnes de maïs que les 
agriculteurs blancs avaient omis de déclarer conformément à la loi. Le 22 
octobre, la police a ouvert une enquête sur la constitution présumée de 
stocks de maïs par le parti d'opposition MDC. La presse a rapporté que ce 
parti distribuait du maïs dans les régions frappées par la sécheresse dans 
le cadre de sa campagne électorale. Par ailleurs, le 23 octobre, 
l'association humanitaire World Vision International a annoncé que 500.000 
personnes risquaient prochainement d'être victimes de la famine dans les 
provinces asséchées de Matabeleland et des Midlands.   (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 24 octobre 2001)

* Zimbabwe. L'UE durcit le ton  -  Le 22 octobre à Bruxelles, lors d'un 
entretien entre une "troïka" européenne et le ministre zimbabwéen des 
Affaires étrangères, l'Union européenne a enjoint le Zimbabwe d'accepter 
rapidement une mission technique européenne et des observateurs lors de la 
prochaine élection présidentielle d'avril 2002, sous peine de possibles 
sanctions économiques. Le Zimbabwe a rejeté cet ultimatum de l'UE. - Le 29 
octobre, le Conseil des ministres européen réuni à Luxembourg a décidé de 
durcir le ton. Il a déclenché une procédure de consultation "au titre de 
l'article 96 de l'accord de Cotonou". Si aucun progrès n'est enregistré au 
bout de 60 jours, des "mesures appropriées" pourront être prises. On 
pourrait alors arriver à la suspension des avantages de cet accord pour le 
Zimbabwe.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 24-30 octobre 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Le Commonwealth et la crise agraire  -  Une équipe de 
représentants du Commonwealth a consacré le week-end à des rencontres au 
Zimbabwe avec différents acteurs de la crise soulevée par la redistribution 
des terres. Elle doit faire le point des mesures convenues avec la 
Grande-Bretagne en ce qui concerne la réforme agraire. Les autorités 
zimbabwéennes avaient convenu de mettre un terme aux confiscations des 
terres des fermiers blancs et de veiller à ce que le programme soit exécuté 
dans le respect des dispositions légales, Londres ayant promis pour sa part 
de recommencer à financer ce programme. L'équipe a tenu des réunions avec 
divers acteurs de la crise, notamment avec les fermiers commerciaux, les 
leaders traditionnels, le gouvernement, les autorités de l'Eglise et des 
partis d'opposition. Elle doit ensuite rédiger un rapport sur ses 
conclusions.   (PANA, Sénégal, 28 octobre 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Crunch vote  -  19 October: Robert Mugabe's government is 
amassing huge quantities of arms and ammunition in preparation for next 
year's crunch presidential ballot. An investigation by The Independent has 
revealed that Congo RDC and Namibia are helping Zimbabwe to circumvent an 
international arms embargo to buy huge quantities of guns and bullets. The 
arms embargo was imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union and the United 
States because of its appalling human rights record. Inquiries reveal that 
President Mugabe's government is importing and massing an assortment of 
guns at army bases around the country in preparation for the poll, which is 
expected to be violent.Most of the guns have been arriving secretly at Suri 
Suri air base in Chegutu, 140km west of Harare, before they are distributed 
to other military bases. Some will be sent to farms where self-styled war 
veterans have established bases to intimidate voters.Most of the weapons 
have arrived from Congo RDC in one of the country's military cargo planes. 
The weapons consist of a significant portion of French-made guns, most of 
which top government sources say will be distributed to war veterans who 
are central to the ruling Zanu-PF party's re-election strategy in the 
presidential poll. The sources say Zimbabwe, whose armoury has been 
massively depleted because of its participation in the three-year-old Congo 
RDC war, has been having great difficulty in replenishing its arms stocks 
because its traditional and cheaper arms suppliers in Europe are refusing 
to sell it arms.This has forced the army to ground most of its fleet of 
Hawk fighter aircraft because of Britain's refusal to sell spare parts. 25 
October: Zimbabwe could face the threat of EU sanctions after President 
Mugabe rejected a request to send an advance team of election observers to 
the country. 25 October: Amnesty International warns that state-sponsored 
killings in Zimbabwe are on the rise. 26 October: A Commonwealth delegation 
has begun discussions on the implementation of last month's agreement on 
land reform in Zimbabwe, with officials denying that the two-day meeting 
has been "hijacked" to exclude government opponents. 27 October: The 
Commonwealth delegation goes to occupied farms to judge whether political 
violence and intimidation have ended. 28 October: The Commonwealth mission 
to Zimbabwe ends. In a statement, the mission urges President Mugabe to 
maintain law and order. No mechanism was established to monitor compliance. 
29 October: The EU will impose punitive sanctions on Zimbabwe within months 
unless Harare can prove it is serious about human rights and democracy. EU 
foreign ministers meeting Luxembourg have agreed to begin immediate 
"consultations" with Harare, a process which paves the way for sanctions to 
be imposed. ZANU-PF says it is not acceptable for any country or 
organisation to set its own terms for coming to observe the election. 30 
October: President Mugabe has accused some of his ministers of "wining and 
dining" with British officials instead of defending Zimbabwe's land 
reforms.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 31 October 2001)


Weekly anb1031.txt - End of part 7/7

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