Weekly anb01106.txt #9

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 10-01-2002      PART #6/9

* Nigeria. Abacha family repays $150 million  -  The Nigerian authorities 
say the family of the late military ruler, Sani Abacha, has returned about 
$150m to the government. A statement issued by a spokesman for President 
Olusegun Obasanjo said the payment was made two weeks ago from a frozen 
Abacha family bank account in Luxembourg. General Abacha, who ruled Nigeria 
from 1993 until his sudden death in 1998, is alleged to have embezzled some 
$3bn of public money. He is said to have diverted the funds into secret 
bank accounts --mainly in Britain, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well 
as Luxembourg. Nigeria has been pursuing a series of legal actions to 
regain the money.   (BBC News, UK, 3 January 2002)

* Nigeria. Nigeria Airways halves workforce  -  Nigeria Airways is sacking 
nearly half its staff in a last-ditch attempt to put its house in order and 
prepare for privatisation. In a statement, the airline said it was getting 
rid of 1,000 of its 2,300 employees, and promised they would be receive 
redundancy payments within three months. The airline, which has only two 
planes, called its actions "a major right-sizing exercise". It said the 
staff had been "rationalised as a result of Federal Government efforts to 
put the airline on line again". A panel appointed by the government to look 
into privatisation recommended the mass layoffs last year. But analysts 
said it remained an open question as to whether the airline could ever be 
put back together. There are deep differences between the minister of 
aviation, the bureau of public enterprises -- which has overall 
responsibility for privatisations -- unions, advisers and the company 
itself over how to proceed.   (BBC News, UK, 4 January 2002)

* Nigeria. Insecurity to lives and corruption permeate Nigeria  -  In their 
New Year messages, Nigeria's Catholic Bishops have described the recurring 
destruction of human lives, corruption and other vices that have been the 
vogue in the last year, as a looming catastrophe for Nigerians in general, 
and the Catholic faithful in particular in the new year. The Bishops say 
the Nation will progress in the new year, only if Nigerians in high places 
can rid themselves of corruption. At the same time, the government must 
impose severe penalties on corrupt and undisciplined officials. The 
government has shirked its primary duty of protecting lives and property. 
Things are even worse today than in the period preceding civilian 
government.   (Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, 4 January 2002)

* Nigeria. Pendaison  -  Le 3 janvier, un homme de 27 ans, condamné pour le 
meurtre d'une femme et de ses deux enfants, a été pendu dans le nord du 
Nigeria en application de la sharia (loi islamique). A la suite de graves 
émeutes interreligieuses, la justice a préféré cette sanction à une 
condamnation à être poignardé comme ses victimes. Les non-musulmans 
s'opposent en effet à la loi islamique, en raison de la dureté de ses 
sanctions. Ces derniers mois, au moins deux personnes ont été condamnées à 
mort pour crimes sexuels. Elles ont interjeté appel.   (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 5 janvier 2002)

* Nigeria. Woman who was raped, faces death by stoning  -  Fears are 
growing for a Nigerian woman condemned to be stoned to death for adultery 
after a murderer was hanged in the first execution under sharia law. Sani 
Yakubu Rodi was hanged in prison in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna on 
3 January. He had originally been sentenced to execution by stabbing -- the 
method he used to kill a woman and her two children in June last year. But 
sharia authorities changed their mind to avoid triggering widespread 
outrage in Nigeria, where the implementation of strict Islamic law in some 
Muslim-dominated northern states over the past two years has provoked 
riots. The case of Sufiyatu Huseini, 35, now rests with an appeal court. 
She was condemned to death by stoning by a sharia court in the northern 
town of Sokoto in June. The sentence would have been fulfilled as soon as 
she had weaned her 11-month-old daughter, Adama, but she appealed and has 
secured a stay of execution.   (The Independent, UK, 5 January 2002

* Nigeria. Autres affrontements communautaires  -  Plus de 50 personnes ont 
été tuées au cours de plusieurs affrontements liés à un conflit foncier 
entre agriculteurs autochtones et soi-disant "colons", la semaine passée 
dans l'est du Nigeria, a annoncé un responsable officiel le 7 janvier. Les 
affrontements les plus récents se sont déroulés le 5 janvier, quand des 
jeunes de la communauté Mambilla ont attaqué trois communautés de l'ethnie 
Peuhl dans la zone montagneuse du Plateau de Mambilla, dans l'Etat de 
Taraba. Ces affrontements sont la suite de précédents heurts à Gembu (est) 
la semaine dernière, au cours desquels plus de 50 personnes avaient été 
tuées.   (Le Soir, Belgique, 8 janvier 2002)

* Nigeria. Senior Nigerian aide found dead  -  Nigerian radio has reported 
that a senior aide to the chief justice has been found dead, two weeks 
after the justice minister was murdered. SA Awonusi's body was reportedly 
found on 8 January in broad daylight, lying in a pool of blood on a path in 
the centre of the federal capital, Abuja. Quoting local radio reports, the 
AFP news agency said he had been stabbed in the back. His death came two 
weeks after Justice Minister Bola Ige was shot dead in his home by 
unidentified gunmen. It is not known why either man was killed, but the 
minister had become involved in a struggle for power between two different 
factions in south-western Osun state. Mr Awonusi was confidential secretary 
to the country's most senior judge and head of the Supreme Court, Muhammadu 
Uwais. Police said the aide had flown up to Abuja on 7 January morning from 
his home in Lagos. The same day, police released the name of a man they 
want to question over the murder of Justice Minister Ige at his home in 
Ibadan in southwest Nigeria's Osun state. A statement said that Damola 
Elubode Adebayo, alias Frayo, had gone "underground since the heinous crime 
was committed". No details were given of his alleged connection to the 
murder on 23 December, which shocked Nigerians and was linked by the 
government to a local political feud.   (BBC News, UK, 8 January 2002)

* Rwanda. FPR et nouveau drapeau  -  Le parti au pouvoir, le Front 
patriotique rwandais (FPR), a élu le 23 décembre un nouveau comité 
directeur, a-t-on appris le 2 janvier. Christophe Bazivamo est devenu 
vice-président, alors que le secrétaire général, Charles Murigande, 
conserve ses fonctions, ainsi que le chef de l'Etat, Paul Kagame, qui reste 
président du FPR. -D'autre part, depuis le 31 décembre, les autorités 
rwandaises ont adopté officiellement un nouveau drapeau et un nouvel hymne 
national. Le nouveau drapeau présente des bandes horizontales en vert, 
jaune et bleu et est frappé d'un soleil jaune.   (La Libre Belgique, 3 
janvier 2002)

* Rwanda. Arrestations - Appel de HRW  -  Selon La Libre Belgique du 5 
janvier, le secrétaire général du Mouvement démocratique républicain (MDR), 
parti membre de l'actuel coalition gouvernementale, a été arrêté le 2 
janvier par la police rwandaise. Pierre Gakwandi est détenu pour avoir 
rédigé un article dans le dernier numéro du bimensuel proche de 
l'opposition, Le partisan, a indiqué la police. M. Gakwandi s'est notamment 
rendu coupable de"sectarisme, divisionnisme et diffamation envers des 
personnalités publiques et politiques". Principale formation à dominante 
hutu, deuxième parti en importance après le FPR (au pouvoir), le MDR compte 
12 députés sur 70 à l'Assemblée nationale et deux portefeuilles au 
gouvernement. Précisons que les partis politiques ne sont pas autorisés à 
tenir des réunions publiques, ce qui limite leur existence à celle de 
coteries. - Le 9 janvier, Human Rights Watch a adressé un appel aux 
autorités rwandaises pour qu'elles lancent immédiatement une enquête sur le 
meurtre, le 26 décembre, de Gratien Munyarubuga, l'un des fondateurs du 
mouvement d'opposition, le Parti démocratique pour le renouveau - Ubuyanja, 
et qu'elles mettent fin au harcèlement d'autres membres de l'opposition et 
des représentants de la presse. Depuis ce meurtre, les autorités ont détenu 
prisonnier et interrogé Pasteur Bizimungu, ancien président du Rwanda et 
figure de proue du parti Ubuyanja, ainsi qu'un autre membre d'Ubuyanja, 
trois personnes associées au parti MDR, et un journaliste qui a rapporté 
les événements. "La police devrait concentrer son énergie dans la poursuite 
des assassins de Munyarubuga, plutôt que dans l'intimidation des personnes 
dont ils ne partagent pas les idées", a affirmé Alison Des Forges, 
conseillère à la division Afrique de HRW. Ces dernières semaines, la police 
a détenu plusieurs personnes qui avaient cherché à rendre visite à 
Bizimungu, auquel on avait interdit, en juin dernier, d'établir un nouveau 
parti politique.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 janvier 2002)

* Rwanda/Angola. Rwanda seeks closer ties with Angola  -  Rwandan President 
Paul Kagame has called for closer links between his country and Angola. Mr 
Kagame is on a two-day visit to the Angolan capital, Luanda -- his first 
since the outbreak of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in which 
Angola backs the government side and Rwanda the rebels. Mr Kagame has said 
that peace has to be achieved in the region. He is holding talks with his 
Angolan counterpart Jose Eduardo dos Santos aimed at ending the Congolese 
conflict. Rwanda denied Congolese government allegations last month that it 
has been reinforcing its military presence there.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 
January 2002)

* Rwanda/Belgique. Les pourvois rejetés  -  La Cour de cassation de 
Belgique a rejeté mercredi 9 janvier les pourvois interjetés par soeur 
Maria Kisito, soeur Gertrude et Alphonse Higaniro, après leur condamnation 
prononcée par la Cour d'assises de Bruxelles-Capitale le 8 juin dernier. 
Différents moyens avaient été invoqués dans les mémoires écrits déposés par 
Me Pierre Van Ommeslaghe, pour les deux soeurs, et par Me Raf Verstraeten, 
pour Alphonse Higaniro. Ce rejet rend définitifs les arrêts de la Cour 
d'assises. Seule reste possible une procédure devant la Cour européenne des 
droits de l'homme à Strasbourg laquelle, même si elle jugeait le procès 
inéquitable, ne renverserait cependant pas la condamnation.   (ANB-BIA, de 
sources diverses, 10 janvier 2002)

* Sahara occidental. 115 prisonniers libérés  -  Le 2 janvier, le Front 
Polisario a annoncé qu'il s'apprêtait à libérer, en signe de bonne volonté, 
115 prisonniers de guerre marocains détenus depuis le début du conflit du 
Sahara occidental, il y a un quart de siècle. Le mouvement indépendantiste 
sahraoui rappelle que cela portera à 900 le nombre de prisonniers de guerre 
libérés sans contrepartie. Ces nouvelles libérations ont été décidées à la 
demande du gouvernement espagnol à l'occasion de la fin du ramadan et du 
début de la nouvelle année. On estime que le Polisario détiendrait encore 
jusqu'à 1.200 militaires marocains.   (La Libre Belgique, 3 janvier 2002)

* Senegal. Leopold Senghor  -  The founding father of independent Senegal, 
Leopold Sedar Senghor, died on 20 December 2001, at the age of 95. Mr 
Senghor, who was the country's first president after it gained independence 
from France, died at home in France, a presidential spokesman said in 
Senegal. As one of the first African leaders to allow democracy and a free 
press, Mr Senghor was a pioneer. He was also one of the first African 
presidents to retire gracefully. In 1981 after 20 years in power he handed 
over to his prime minister. Mr Senghor lived long enough to see one 
remarkable result of his political liberalism. In the year 2000 in a 
thoroughly democratic election in Senegal, the long standing opposition 
leader Abdoulaye Wade, who had been a thorn in Senghor's side for many 
years, won the presidency. Such an event is still unthinkable in most 
African countries where authoritarianism is the rule. A poet and scholar 
when not being a politician, he was the first black African to join the 
elite French literary institute, the Academie Française. His critics said 
he was too close to Senegal's former colonial power, France, and taunted 
him for being a black Frenchman rather than an African. He replied that a 
very poor country like Senegal needs powerful friends, even neo-colonial 
ones. Leopold Sedar Senghor left a legacy of free thinking and free debate 
in Senegal -- a legacy which still marks it out as a very unusual African 
state.   (BBC News, UK, 21 December 2001)

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