Weekly anb01245.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 24-01-2002      PART #5/7

* Mozambique. Malaria emergency  -  17 January: Authorities in Mozambique 
have expressed concern over the growing number of malaria cases, which has 
now reached epidemic proportions. The disease is now responsible for the 
largest number of admissions and deaths in the country's hospitals. Health 
authorities, who are battling to find an effective solution, have just 
launched an emergency campaign to spray mosquito breeding grounds with 
insecticide. But with hospitals admitting an average of 800 malaria 
patients a day, the situation is becoming desperate. Three of the largest 
hospitals in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, have now been forced to assign 
two patients per single bed. Last year the country's major hospitals 
registered over 280,000 malaria cases resulting in more than 1,200 deaths. 
The insecticide spraying campaign will first target low-lying parts of 
Maputo. Deputy National Health Director Avertino Barreto, says the sharp 
rise in malaria cases is largely due to the waters from floods in 2000 
which are yet to drain away. But a malaria research group has calculated 
that the anti-malaria spraying campaign will only help reduce the spread of 
the disease by 5%. The group said it would have been more effective if the 
campaign had been launched earlier. Malaria continues to be the number one 
killer illness in Mozambique and the health authorities have been battling 
to identify a more effective treatment. Another headache for health 
authorities is the water-borne disease cholera, which has killed 139 people 
out of 12,000 cases since the epidemic broke out last August. They say the 
disease is now affecting eight of the country's 11 provinces.   (BBC News, 
UK, 17 January 2002)

* Mozambique/South Africa. Rail deal  -  17 January: Hopes are high that 
South African investment in Mozambique railways could improve trade and 
employment in both countries. Under the deal, South Africa's public 
railways, Spoornet, can run its trains from the border to the port of the 
Mozambique capital Maputo. This should offer better access to southern 
Africa from the Indian ocean. South Africa's public railways Spoornet is to 
pay $67.7m for the rail concession and will invest $17.2 million in the 
Mozambique rail network. The track was badly run down during Mozambique's 
civil war. A further $61 million will come from the Mozambique Port 
Development Company - a European funded organisation. Mozambique hopes that 
the deal will increase tax and tourism revenues as well as boost 
investment.   (BBC News, UK, 17 January 2002)

* Nigeria. General strike  -  The leader of the Nigeria Labour Congress, 
Adams Oshiomhole, has been arrested for a second time after the unions 
vowed to continue with a general strike over the rise in fuel prices. Both 
the government and the courts have declared the strike illegal. The 
government is in no mood to compromise and is trying to wrong-foot the 
unions at every stage. By the end of the second day of the strike, trade 
union leaders call of the strike after wide consultation.   (ANB-BIA, 
Brussels, 17 January 2002)

* Nigeria. Grève générale suspendue  -  Le vendredi 18 janvier, le Nigeria 
est retourné à la vie normale, après que les syndicats du travail ont 
interrompu une grève qui a paralysé le pays. Le jeudi, la principale 
fédération syndicale du Nigeria, le Congrès du travail nigérian (NLC), a 
décidé de suspendre la grève générale déclenchée la veille pour se 
conformer à une décision de la Haute Cour fédérale, qui avait déclaré le 
mouvement illégal. Cependant, le président du NLC, Adams Oshiomhole, arrêté 
le jeudi pour la deuxième fois en deux jours, était toujours en détention 
vendredi matin. La grève visait à protester contre la décision du 
gouvernement le 1er janvier d'augmenter de 15% le prix du pétrole. Le 
président du Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, a souligné qu'une deuxième 
augmentation des prix du carburant depuis que son administration est entrée 
en fonction en 1999, était une étape nécessaire en vue de la libéralisation 
de la distribution du carburant et pour mettre fin à l'histoire des 
pénuries du pays, en dépit du fait que celui-ci soit le sixième exportateur 
mondial de pétrole brut.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 18 janvier 2002)

* Nigeria. Further clashes  -  18 January: An angry crowd in northern 
Nigeria has killed seven policemen. Three civilians also died in the 
disturbances, which erupted this afternoon in Danja, a market town in 
Katsina state. The incident has prompted particular concern because 
Nigeria's security forces have a reputation for reacting strongly when 
their own members are killed. The events began soon after midday, when a 
man pushing a cart knocked into a policeman, apparently by accident. 
Witnesses in the town say that even though the cart pusher apologised, the 
policeman struck him with such force that the man died instantly. On seeing 
this, people in the market then attacked the policeman, who managed to 
escape and return to his headquarters. Police reinforcements arrived in the 
town soon after, by which time an angry crowd had gathered. In the ensuing 
confusion all that is clear is that the police attempted to disperse the 
crowd but were themselves overpowered, seven of them losing their lives, 
along with three townspeople. More police reinforcements soon arrived in 
the town and all that is known about this latest assault on Danja is that 
hundreds, perhaps thousands of people have fled the town. 21 January: 60 
people have now been arrested by police in Danja.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 22 
January 2002)

* Nigeria. Accused woman on death row is freed  -  An Islamic court in the 
northern Nigerian state of Sokoto has acquitted a women accused of having 
sex outside marriage, in the second such case since the introduction of 
full Islamic law there. The judge said there were discrepancies in the 
evidence against the 18-year-old, Hafsatu Abubakar, which had raised doubts 
about the case. Hafsatu Abubakar, who is divorced, was accused by 
neighbours after she gave birth to a child several weeks ago. She and the 
baby have been held in prison pending the trial. When the judgement was 
announced on 23 January, there were cheers from about 500 supporters who 
attended the court session. Speaking to reporters outside the court house 
Hafsatu expressed her deep gratitude to God, who, she said, had given her 
strength through the trying period. There was an international outcry 
against Nigeria over the case of another woman in Sokoto, Safiya Huseini, 
who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, a verdict that she has 
appealed against.   (BBC News, UK, 23 January 2002)

* Senegal. Adjusting to the euro  -  Three weeks since it was officially 
launched, the euro is already a fact of business life in Senegal. In common 
with 13 other countries in West and Central Africa, Senegal uses the CFA 
franc as its main currency. Its convertibility has traditionally been 
guaranteed by France, the old colonial power, and after a devaluation in 
1994, an exchange rate of CFA 100 to one French franc was established. In 
the Senegalese capital, Dakar, changing French money has never been a 
problem and it has been common for foreigners and Senegalese alike to use 
French money in their daily business dealings. But with the French franc on 
its way out, the euro is quickly establishing itself, not least in Dakar's 
busy Sandaga market. "I've got no problem with this new money," said Pape 
Ndiaye, who runs a small clothes boutique. The notes are small, thin, easy 
to manage. The only headache is the exchange rate. Why couldn't they have 
come up with a round number?"   (BBC News, UK, 21 january 2002)

* Sénégal. Eradiquer l'excision  -  Le gouvernement sénégalais a lancé un 
"plan national d'action" destiné à éradiquer d'ici à 2005 l'excision, 
interdite par une loi depuis janvier 1999 mais toujours pratiquée. 
L'excision toucherait 20% de la population féminine au niveau national, 
selon des estimations fournies à la presse le 22 janvier, lors du lancement 
de ce plan par la ministre de la Famille et de la petite enfance. Cette 
proportion atteindrait 60 à 70% dans les régions de Tambacounda (sud-est) 
et de Kolda (sud).   (La Croix, France, 24 janvier 2002)

* Sierra Leone. "Flames of peace"  -  18 January: The president of Sierra 
Leone has declared an end to one of Africa's most brutal wars. President 
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was joined by rebel leaders and international guests at 
a peace ceremony in an army camp in the capital Freetown. The celebrations 
included a symbolic bonfire of some of the tens of thousands of weapons, 
gathered over the past year from both government troops and rebels. The 
horrific conflict, which killed up to 50,000 people, was characterised by 
widespread atrocities against civilians, including mass rape and 
mutilation. The war also left millions of people homeless, spreading 
throughout West Africa before UN-initiated peace talks ended the conflict. 
Sierra Leoneans, who have had little to celebrate in more than a decade of 
war, are making the most of this special day. "The war done done," 
President Kabbah said at the peace ceremony. "Today we are happy that those 
flames of war have been extinguished and that now we are about to watch the 
flames of peace," he said, shortly before the huge pile of about 3,000 guns 
was set on fire.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 18 January 2002

* Sierra Leone. Cérémonie marquant la fin de la guerre  -  Le 18 janvier, 
le président sierra-léonais Ahmed Tejan Kabbah et le chef par intérim de la 
rébellion du Front révolutionnaire uni (RUF), Issa Sesay, ont participé à 
Lungi à une cérémonie marquant la fin du désarmement et de dix années de 
guerre. Quelque 3.000 armes ont été symboliquement brûlées. Un total de 
47.596 combattants des différentes factions ont été démobilisés au cours du 
processus de désarmement, commencé en mai et terminé la semaine dernière, 
selon les chiffres de l'Onu. 14.436 armes ont aussi été récupérées. En mai 
prochain, des élections présidentielle et législatives doivent être 
organisées.   (La Libre Belgique, 19 janvier 2002)

* Somalia. Puntland's ex-president pins hopes on war against 
terror  -  Clinging bitterly to a tiny corner of Garoe, the capital of 
north-eastern Somalia, the recently ousted president of Puntland is pinning 
his political future on the US war against terror. Surrounding the few 
buildings that remain under their control, guards loyal to Abdullahi Yussuf 
polish their battle-wagons and scrutinise the few travellers who dare to 
pass. Last week they shot a powerful local businessman, and the townsfolk 
of Garoe are angry; many fear a civil war is brewing. Mr Yussuf's opponents 
say it is the last stand of an old warrior who cannot accept he has been 
legitimately replaced. But according to Mr Yussuf, this last toehold is all 
that stands between a stable Puntland and a shadowy Islamist plot. To 
outsiders, only one thing is certain. The battle for the Somali region of 
Puntland is fast becoming a frightening case study of how this fragile 
region has been upset by events since September 11. Until recently it was 
one of the safest places in Somalia, exporting livestock and frankincense 
while its planners dreamed of developing its oil wells. But last year 
regional elders replaced Mr Yussuf with Jama Ali Jama, a former communist. 
In August, Mr Yussuf was ejected from the port town of Bossaso and 
retreated to Galkaio, his home base, leaving many dead. But he refused to 
accept the process was fair, and in November he recaptured Garoe, leading 
to the current stalemate. Since September 11, this local struggle has taken 
on a far more international flavour. Mr Yussuf says his removal was part of 
a conspiracy by al-Itihaad, an Islamic fundamentalist group set up in the 
1970s, which he says has links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda group and 
backs Mr Jama in the establishment of a terrorist state. The story has 
found a willing audience amid concerns that Muslim Somalia could provide a 
home for al-Qaeda and its allies. Washington has designated al-Itihaad a 
terrorist organisation, and is watching closely.   (Financial Times, UK, 21 
January 2002)

* Somalia. Internet returns to Somalia  -  A new telecommunications company 
has opened its doors in Somalia, two months after the country's only 
internet provider and a major telecommunications company were closed down 
for allegedly supporting terrorism. The firm, NetXchange, opened its 
business today with an attractive charge of 60 US cents per minute for all 
its telephone calls, lower than the existing prices in the Somali capital, 
Mogadishu. The company is also offering 1 000 Somali shillings (5 US cents) 
to anyone who receives an international call at one of its call shops. The 
Somali Internet Company and the al-Barakaat group of companies were shut 
down after the United States accused them of financing Osama Bin Laden's 
al-Qaeda network. Al-Barakaat also helped Somalis transfer money 
internationally -- a vital source of income for the families of many Somali 
expatriates. The manager of NetXchange, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Ibar, says that 
the company will provide both wire and wireless internet services to the 
residents of Mogadishu. The new telecommunication company says that it has 
up to 40 call-shops and internet cafes with a total of 2,000 telephone 
lines. NetXchange is not the only institution filling the void left by the 
closure of al-Barakaat. This week a new bank in Mogadishu, the Universal 
Bank of Somalia was opened. The bank officials say that they are connected 
to 62 other international banks in 72 countries, including main business 
markets in London, Brussels and New York.   (BBC News, UK, 22 January 2002)

Weely news - anb0124.txt - #5/7