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Weekly anb03145.txt #7
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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 14-03-2002 PART #5/7
* Nigeria. Police chief sacked - President Olusegun Obasanjo has
dismissed Nigeria's police chief Inspector Musiliu Smith, replacing him
with the head of police in northern Nigeria. The dismissal announced on 6
March at the end of an emergency meeting of the Police Council, presided
over by President Obasanjo and attended by Vice President Atiku Abubakar
and some state governors, came five weeks after junior police officers went
on strike over pay. Inspector General Smith has been replaced by Mr Tafa
Balogun, the general inspector in the capital, Abuja, who has been in the
force for over 25 years. The government says the public has lost confidence
in the police. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 7 March 2002)
* Nigeria. Council of Europe plea on death sentence - Europe's top human
rights body has urged Nigeria not to allow the stoning to death of a woman
convicted of having a child out of wedlock, calling the penalty
"barbaric.". In an appeal on the eve of International Women's Day, the
plight of Safiya Hussaini Tangar-Tudu illustrates how women suffer abuses
in many countries. She was convicted by an Islamic court in northern
Nigeria in October and sentenced to be stoned to death while buried up to
her waist in sand.The Council of Europe's Secretary-General, Walter
Schwimmer, has appealed to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to commute
her death sentence. He also urged his European colleagues to join him in
the fight for women's rights in all parts of the world. "International
organisations, governments and religious authorities must do everything in
their power to change both laws and attitudes and to bring an end to such
barbaric practices," he added. The 43-member Council of Europe is the
continent's premier human rights watchdog and the guardian of the 1952
European Convention of Human Rights, which bans the death penalty.
Hussaini's execution was postponed on 2 March after Obasanjo intervened
amid pressure from the international community. Hussaini's case was also
discussed at a women's rights conference at the European Parliament in
Brussels on 6 March. (CNN, USA, 7 March 2002)
* Nigeria. Students killed - At least two students have been killed in
Nigeria after a rally by the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). They
were shot dead by police in the south-eastern town of Warri. Violence broke
out when students began protesting at the rally and were attacked by PDP
supporters, according to eye-witnesses. Last month, President Olusegun
Obasanjo warned that violence threatened to engulf the country and derail
democracy. At least 10,000 people have been killed in religious and ethnic
violence since Mr Obasanjo was elected to power in 1999, ending years of
military rule. New presidential elections are due next year. Mr Obasanjo
has not yet said if he will stand for re-election. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9
March 2002)
* Nigeria. Affrontements pour propriété foncière - Au moins 40 personnes
sont mortes durant des affrontements en rapport avec la propriété de terres
agricoles qui se sont produits il y a une semaine entre communautés Apiapum
et Ufatura, dans le conseil local d'Obubra de l'Etat de Cross River
(sud-est du Nigeria), ont informé les autorités policières le 8 mars. La
police a interpellé plus de 500 personnes et en recherchait d'autres
considérées comme les cerveaux des affrontements. Elle a aussi invité les
victimes des violences, dont beaucoup sont des commerçants basés à Apiapum,
à fournir des informations sur les pertes qui s'élèveraient à environ 5
milliards de nairas (plus de 43 millions de dollars). Le Nigeria est frappé
par de nombreux incidents d'affrontements communautaires en rapport avec
des disputes d'ordre ethnique, religieux ou foncier, depuis que le
président Obasanjo a été élu en 1999. Les responsables gouvernementaux ont
parfois attribué les troubles à des ex-officiers militaires qui
chercheraient à discréditer la démocratie. (IRIN, Lagos, 11 mars 2002)
* Rwanda. Conférence sur le système juridique - Une conférence sur
l'étude et la réforme du système juridique réunissant des experts venus du
monde entier s'est ouverte le dimanche 10 mars à Kigali. La conférance,
organisée conjointement par la Commission rwandaise chargée de la réforme
juridique et par l'ambassade américaine, "vise à comparer le système des
lois rwandaises avec celui des autres pays afin d'identifier les éléments
pouvant être le mieux adaptés dans le contexte rwandais", indique un
communiqué du cabinet du président. Parmi les participants figurent des
spécialistes venus de l'Argentine, du Burundi, du Cameroun, du Canada, du
Kenya, de l'île Maurice, du Sénégal, d'Afrique du Sud, de Tanzanie et des
USA. (IRIN, Nairobi, 12 mars 2002)
* Rwanda. Deux accusés transférés au TPIR - L'ancien officier de
l'ex-armée rwandaise et membre du Parlement, le colonel Aloys Simba, et
l'ex-maire de Gikoro (centre-est), Paul Bisengimana, ont été transférés
lundi soir, 11 mars, au quartier pénitentiaire du tribunal pénal
international pour le Rwanda (TPIR). Les deux accusés sont poursuivis
séparément pour génocide et crimes contre l'humanité en 1994. L'ex-officier
a été arrêté au Sénégal le 27 novembre dernier, tandis que l'ex-maire a été
arrêté au Mali le 4 décembre. Les deux s'étaient opposés à leur extradition
au TPIR, mais ils ont été déboutés par les tribunaux des pays dans lesquels
ils ont été arrêtés. (Agence Hirondelle, Arusha, 12 mars 2002)
* Rwanda. Bilan des condamnations - De fin 1996 à fin 2001, 660 personnes
accusées de participation au génocide de 1994 ont été condamnées à la peine
capitale par les tribunaux rwandais, selon la Ligue rwandaise pour la
promotion et la défense des droits de l'homme. Au cours de la même période,
1.795 accusés ont été condamnés à la prison à perpétuité, et 2.566
acquittés faute de preuves de leur participation au génocide. Les tribunaux
ont jugé un total de 6.454 accusés de génocide au cours de cette période.
Les prisons rwandaises abritent quelque 115.000 détenus accusés de
participation au génocide qui a fait, selon le gouvernement rwandais, un
million de morts parmi la minorité tutsi et chez les Hutu modérés. (Le
Soir, Belgique, 14 mars 2002)
* Sao Tome e Principe. Opposition wins by 51 votes - The main opposition
party of Sao Tome e Principe has won the general election by 51 votes. The
opposition Force for Change Democratic Movement had been trailing the
ruling Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome e Principe by 68 votes after
last week's election, with one district left to report election results.
The Folha Fede district, which boycotted last week's election to protest
poor public infrastructure, repeated its ballot on 10 March, and gave the
opposition party 15,531 votes compared to the ruling party's
15,470. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 2002)
* Senegal. African environmentalists hold talks - Environmentalist
politicians from Africa have been meeting Dakar, in an effort to inject new
life into Africa's green movements. The Federation of African Ecological
Parties was created in 1998, but has since been unable to function
efficiently, because of political instability, lack of resources, and the
inexperience of member-parties which are relatively young. The outgoing
secretary-general of the Federation, Adamou Garba, who is head of the Green
Party in Niger, said the greatest challenges facing the Green movement in
Africa are chronic poverty, desertification and pollution. (BBC News, UK,
9 March 2002)
* Sierra Leone. Plan de paix sous-régional - La Guinée, le Liberia et la
Sierra Leone, qui sont membres de l'Union du fleuve Mano (UFM), ont signé à
Freetown un plan de paix, après deux jours de discussions sur le
rétablissement de la paix dans la sous-région, a-t-on appris le 8 mars.
Dans un communiqué à l'issue de la rencontre dans la capitale
sierra-léonaise, les participants ont exprimé leur accord pour collaborer
afin d'éradiquer la rébellion dans la sous-région par des moyens conformes
aux normes internationales. Un comité d'experts se réunira le 13 mars pour
constituer une structure judiciaire qui traitera des affaires relatives aux
mouvements rebelles dans le bassin de l'UFM. Chaque pays membre soumettra à
ses voisins une liste de personnes vivant sur leurs territoires et
souçonnées d'être des rebelles, pour permettre d'intenter une action à
travers cette structure judiciaire. Les trois pays ont aussi mandaté un
comité stratégique pour entamer la première phase du déploiement de forces
de sécurité le long de leurs frontières communes. (PANA, Sénégal, 8 mars
2002)
* Sierra Leone. Voters registration completed - Voter-registration for
the 14 May 2002 presidential and parliamentary elections has been
completed. 2,276,518 eligible voters have so far fully registered with the
National Electoral Commission to cast their ballots in the election.
Provisional voters' rosters will remain open from 9-13 March for challenges
and rectification. There will not be any extension to voters' registration.
-- President Tejan Kabbah has officially announced that he will seek a 2nd
five-year term in office. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 2002)
* Sierra Leone. Préparation des élections - L'inscription des électeurs
pour les élections présidentielle et législatives du 14 mai prochain est
achevée, a confirmé, le dimanche 10 mars à Freetown, le Commissaire
électoral national, Walter Nicol. Il a indiqué que 2.276.518 personnes en
droit de voter se sont inscrites. Les listes provisoires resteront
affichées du 9 au 13 mars pour des rectifications après d'éventuelles
réclamations. M. Nicol a reconnu certaines imperfections dans le cadre des
inscriptions, mais les a qualifiées d'insignifiantes. D'autre part, le
samedi, le président Ahmed Tejan Kabbah a officiellement annoncé sa
candidature à l'élection présidentielle pour un deuxième mandat de cinq
ans. (PANA, Sénégal, 11 mars 2002)
* Sierra Leone. Sankoh murder trial begins - Sierra Leone rebel leader
Foday Sankoh and 49 members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) have
appeared in court to answer charges of murder. The charges were brought
last week, after a state of emergency enabling the government to detain the
accused without trial was lifted. Most of the civil war's atrocities will
be dealt with by a United Nations special court. But this case relates to
an incident in May 2000, when Mr Sankoh supporters allegedly killed 21
protesters after a peace deal had been signed. There were concerns that
former members of the RUF might clash with pro-government supporters. But
the court was cordoned off by armed police and everything went smoothly.
The main defendant looked frail and bemused as he stood in the dock with
his RUF colleagues. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 March 2002)
* Somalie. Pas le réfuge idéal - Les clans qui s'y affrontent et
l'idéologie pragmatique de sa population font de la Somalie un refuge tout
sauf idéal pour les militants d'Al-Qaïda, mais les services de
renseignements américains restent à l'affût des activités terroristes de ce
pays troublé de la Corne de l'Afrique, ont déclaré le 8 mars plusieurs
responsables américains. De petits nombres de Somalis qui ont combattu dans
les rangs d'Al-Qaïda sont retournés en Afghanistan depuis que la guerre y a
recommencé, ont-ils précisé. Mais la Somalie reste un carrefour
d'opérations terroristes contre les intérêts américains en Afrique de
l'Est, a estimé l'un d'eux. L'armée a multiplié les vols de surveillance au
dessus de la Somalie ces derniers mois et le personnel américain est en
contact avec de potentiels alliés locaux. (AP,US, 9 mars 2002)
* Somalia. Security Council debates reconciliation - After a closed-door
session on Somalia on 11 March, the UN Security Council held an extensive
open debate on the situation in the country. Over 20 countries took part in
the meeting which, among other issues, discussed "ways of promoting the
national reconciliation process". Jordan's ambassador to the UN, Zeid Ra'ad
Zeid, who spoke on behalf of the Arab group of states, underscored the
importance of the Arta process (which set up the Transitional National
Government), while at the same urging support for the interim government
"in its efforts to promote a comprehensive reconciliation process and
national unity". Zeid called on the Council to send a fact-finding mission
to Somalia to begin the process of "setting up an observation mechanism to
verify the arms embargo", imposed by Security Council resolution 733 in
1992. (IRIN, Kenya, 12 March 2002)
* Somalia. Proposal to end bank misery - Somalia has suggested that a
United States Bank should take over the operations of the al-Barakaat
financial network, shut down by Washington for alleged terrorism links.
Al-Barakaat was used by Somalis overseas to send money home to relatives,
and many families have struggled as a result of the decision. Mr Yusuf
Hassan Ibrahim said on 11 March that "the idea is to establish a mechanism
for the unfreezing of thousands of individual account holders who have no
links to al Qaeda". (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 March 2002)
* South Africa. Land reform proceeds slowly - Under the shadows of South
Africa's beautiful Soutpansberg Mountains, a community is celebrating its
release from 40 years of pain. Land that was taken from villagers by force
under apartheid is being returned. A ceremony to mark the occasion is held
on a football field. Old women dance with joy, men covered in animal skins
blow into antelope horns. South Africa's Minister of Land, Dr Thoko Didiza,
is the guest of honour. Her government says it is committed to speeding up
the process of land redistribution. Just as in neighbouring Zimbabwe, it is
the white minority that currently owns the majority of fertile land. The
ANC Government says it wants justice for the millions of black people who
were forced into crowded homelands during the apartheid years. But Dr
Didiza says there will be none of the forced seizures which have
characterised land redistribution in neighbouring Zimbabwe during the past
two years. (BBC News, UK, 8 March 2002)
Weekly anb0314.txt - End of part 5/7