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Weekly anb05309.txt #9
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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 30-05-2002 PART #9/9
* Tunisia. Huge win for Ben Ali - 27 May: First official results from a
referendum in Tunisia show massive support for constitutional changes which
would allow President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to stay in power. The
Interior Ministry said more than 99% of people had voted to abolish the
three-term limit for incumbent presidents and raise the age limit of a
sitting president from 70 to 75. The president was due to retire in 2004
after 15 years in office but the proposed constitutional amendments would
allow him to stand for a further two terms. Several opposition figures had
called for a boycott of the referendum, fearing any change would
reintroduce the system of a president for life. Mr Ben Ali has said the
referendum is about democratic reform, including a second parliamentary
chamber and better human rights protection. But human rights groups speak
of a climate of fear in Tunisia, with dissent quickly squashed. (ANB-BIA,
Brussels, 27 May 2002)
* Tunisie. Référendum constitutionnel - 26 mai. Près de 3,6 millions de
Tunisiens étaient appelés à se prononcer sur un projet de réforme
fondamentale de la Constitution, par le biais d'un référendum, le premier
du genre en Tunisie. La réforme vise essentiellement à permettre au
président Ben Ali de briguer un 4ème mandat de cinq ans lors des élections
de 2004. Les amendements proposés prévoient le renouvellement sans limite
des candidatures à la magistrature suprême et repoussent l'âge limite à 75
ans. Elles accordent aussi au président une immunité pénale pendant et
après l'exercice de sa fonction. Touchant près de la moitié des 78 articles
de la Constitution, la réforme prévoit en outre la création d'une deuxième
chambre parlementaire et des élections présidentielles à deux tours. Selon
le pouvoir, la réforme vise aussi à "conforter les droits de l'homme et les
libertés" en apportant des garanties judiciaires à la garde à vue et la
détention préventive. De nombreuses figures de l'opposition se sont
déclarées hostiles à cette réforme et ont appelé au boycott. Le 24 avril,
huit associations actives dans la défense des droits de l'homme et des
libertés avaient encore affirmé leur opposition à la réforme et dénoncé
l'absence de libertés dans leur pays. -27 mai. Résultats: la réforme de la
Constitution a été approuvée à 99,52%. Le taux de participation a atteint
95%, malgré l'appel au boycottage. Les opposants parlent de "simulacre",
voire de "mascarade". On peut cependant difficilement nier l'adhésion
quasiment unanime des Tunisiens au projet de leur président. (ANB-BIA, 28
mai 2002)
* Tunisie. Hammami: état de santé inquiétant - La Fédération internationale
des droits de l'homme (FIDH) exprime son extrême préoccupation concernant
le sort de M. Hamma Hammami, porte-parole du Parti communiste des ouvriers
de Tunisie (PCOT, parti non autorisé) et directeur du journal interdit Al
Badil. M. Hammami a entamé depuis le 10 mai une grève de la faim pour
protester contre ses conditions de détention à la prison civile de Tunis et
contre les mauvais traitements subis. Depuis son incarcération le 2
février, il avait été enfermé dans une cellule sans fenêtres dans le
pavillon des condamnés à mort. Ce n'est qu'après une première grève de la
faim qu'il a été transféré dans une autre cellule. Actuellement, il passe
22 heures par jour enfermé dans sa cellule. Son état de santé s'est aggravé
de façon alarmante ces derniers jours. De plus, la FIDH est vivement
préoccupée par les intimidations et les agressions policières dont est
victime l'entourage de Hammami, en particulier sa femme et sa fille de 13
ans. La FIDH dénonce la persistance de la torture et des mauvais
traitements subis par les détenus dans les prisons tunisiennes. (News
Press, France, 28 mai 2002)
* Uganda. Boot camp for boozing police - The Ugandan police force is trying
to clear drunkards out of its ranks. Hundreds of officers have been sent to
the capital Kampala in an attempt to get them off the booze. It was
immediately clear these policemen were in for a tough time. "Jump up and
down like a rabbit," an instructor from the riot police yelled at the
officers. The 351 have been brought to Kibuli police training school in
Kampala from all over the country. In order to make them more effective in
their jobs, the officers are being put through a strict regime. After being
woken up at 0400, they are sent on a road-run before returning for a
variety of physical tasks. These include weight-lifting, crawling on the
ground, wrestling and hours of drills. "Those who fall below the required
standard will definitely have to go because you can't perform when you are
a drunkard," warns senior superintendent Gabriel Amgbu. Clearing drunks out
of the police force is one of the promises made by the Inspector General of
Police, Major General Katumba Wamala. Many Ugandans are pleased that the
problem is being admitted and tackled so publicly. (BBC News, UK, 27 May 2002)
* Ouganda. Campagne de désarmement - En décembre 2001, le président
ougandais Yoweri Museveni promettait une amnistie aux populations
pastorales du nord-est de l'Ouganda qui rendraient volontairement leurs
armes. La période de grâce a expiré le 21 mai dernier, et l'armée
ougandaise est entrée en action pour récupérer l'arsenal détenu
illégalement par les populations karamajongs. A ce jour, sur les 40.000
armes attendues, seules 9.800 ont été récupérées, et l'armée rencontre des
difficultés avec les Jies, un groupe de Karamajongs qui refuse de déposer
fusils et munitions. Les Jies n'hésitent pas à ouvrir le feu sur les
soldats. Quinze personnes ont déjà trouvé la mort lors de ces
échauffourées, dont deux soldats. Les combats entre tribus pour le bétail
sont devenues très meurtrières en raison du trafic d'armes légères en
provenance du Sud-Soudan ou d'éléments corrompus de l'armée ougandaise.
(JA/L'Intelligent, France, 27 mai 2002)
* Uganda. Uganda can absorb more aid - Paul O'Neill, the US Treasury
secretary, intervened on 28 May in a dispute dividing the Ugandan
government, rejecting an argument that the country could not absorb more
overseas aid as "baloney". The Ugandan ministry of finance is at odds with
other ministries over the issue, and the International Monetary Fund, the
World Bank and the Jeffrey Sachs, the Harvard economics professor, have
also become embroiled. Mr O'Neill's remarks were the latest in a series of
interventions on aid issues during his tour of Africa with the rock star
and development campaigner Bono. Mr O'Neill visited an Aids clinic on 28
May where a health ministry official complained that the finance ministry
was setting limits that prevented a large increase in spending. The health
ministry wants to triple health spending from its current levels of around
$120m a year and use anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs to treat Aids, paid for by
new aid from abroad. At a meeting of ministries, the IMF, World Bank, and
non-governmental organisations last week, the finance ministry argued that
the large influx of aid could push up the currency or increase inflation,
hurting economic growth elsewhere. (Financial Times, UK, 29 May 2002)
* Western Sahara. Energy deal with Polisario - On 27 May, Fusion, the
Anglo-Australian oil and gas company, signed a technical co-operation
agreement with Polisario, the Western Saharan independence movement,
covering territorial waters controlled by its neighbour Morocco. Over the
next 12-16 months, it will provide Polisario's putative Sahrawi Arab
Democratic Republic with an analysis of the oil potential of the Western
Sahara's 210,000sq km of territorial waters.The Atlantic coast of North
Africa is drawing increasing interest from oil companies. (Financial Times,
UK, 28 May 2002)
* Zambia. Zambia restarts bank privatisation - 23 May: Zambia is to
privatise 51% of the troubled Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco),
after an attempt to sell a smaller stake was ignored by investors. Zanaco
has had its own problems. Last year, the government put up the "for sale"
sign at Zanaco, but the offer of 35% stake attracted little interest,
according to the privatisation agency. Mr Fundanga said he now expected
more interest because the new offer gave management control. Zanaco's
privatisation is a key condition for Zambia to gain full debt relief under
the World Bank's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) programme. For
lenders to Zambia to write-off half of its $7.3bn debt, the government must
show sustained economic restructuring for 12 months by the December 2003
deadline. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 23 May 2002)
* Zimbabwe. "Political cleansing" worsen human rights violations - The
Amani Trust, a NGO in Zimbabwe which helps survivors of organised violence,
says human rights violations in Zimbabwe are continuing three months after
the presidential poll. "Amani has continued to monitor the human rights
situation in the post election period, issuing frequent reports on the
human rights violations that continue. It is evident that there is no
improvement in the human rights climate in Zimbabwe and indeed the evidence
indicates a further deterioration," the NGO said in its latest report. The
organisation notes that a campaign of retribution against perceived members
of the opposition Movement for the Democratic Change (MDC) is still taking
place. This has been largely witnessed in areas that experienced
pre-election violence. "The nature of this violence, as well as the
partisan distribution of food relief, makes the current violence akin to
political cleansing. Amani calls on the international community to carry
out impartial and independent investigations into Zimbabwe's human rights
violations". Amani cites the youth brigades, the police, ZANU-PF
supporters, the Cental Intelligence Organisations and the army, as those
responsible for persisting violations. (Munyaradzi Makoni, Moto Magazine,
Zimbabwe, 21 May 2002)
* Zimbabwe. Plume d'or 2002 - Le 27 mai, Geoffrey Nyarota, rédacteur en
chef du Daily News au Zimbabwe, s'est vu décerner la Plume d'or 2002 de la
Liberté de la presse, à l'occasion du 9e Forum mondial des rédacteurs en
chef qui se tient à Bruges (Belgique). "Geoffrey Nyarota a résisté aux
nombreuses tentatives menées pour le réduire au silence, lui et son
journal. Il a été arrêté, emprisonné et menacé de mort; les rotatives de
son journal ont été soufflées par une bombe et les locaux saccagés. Mais M.
Nyarota a refusé de céder à cette campagne d'intimidation", précise le
conseil de l'Association mondiale des journaux, qui décerne ce prix annuel.
(Le Soir, Belgique, 28 mai 2002)
* Zimbabwe. White farmers' union warned - 28 May: The government of
Zimbabwe says it is considering banning the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU),
which represents the interests of the country's white farmers. Agriculture
Minister Joseph Made told state television that the behaviour of some of
the 4,500 members of the organisation was contrary to the land reform
programme. The minister did not specify what the alleged wrongdoing was,
but over the last two years the government has accused white farmers of
funding the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change, in part to try
to stop the land redistribution programme. A CFU official said would meet
today to consider its response to a possible ban. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 28
May 2002)
* Zimbabwe. AIDS emergency - The Zimbabwean government has declared a
six-month emergency period to deal with one of the highest rates of
HIV/AIDS infections in the world. In a notice published in the government's
weekly gazette made available on 27 May, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa
said the emergency order would allow people with HIV or AIDS to use generic
drugs. Health officials say an average 2,500 people die from AIDS every
week in Zimbabwe, and that at least 20 percent of the state's 14 million
people have HIV, the virus that causes the killer disease. "In view of the
rapid spread of HIV/AIDS among the population of Zimbabwe, the minister
hereby declares an emergency for a period of six months, with effect from
the promulgation of this notice for the purpose of enabling the state or a
person authorised...to make or use any patented drug," Chinamasa said in
the notice issued on 24 May. The minister said the declaration would also
allow President Robert Mugabe's government and other authorised people "to
import any generic drug used in the treatment of persons suffering from
HIV/AIDS or HIV/AIDS-related conditions." Zimbabwe has permitted the use of
anti-retrovivals, especially for pregnant mothers, since last year.
Mugabe's critics say the 78-year-old Zimbabwean leader -- who is battling a
severe economic and political crisis blamed on his controversial policies
-- is not paying adequate attention to the AIDS problem. But the government
denies the charge, saying Mugabe is one of the few leaders in the region to
have established an AIDS levy to deal with the epidemic. (CNN, USA, 29 May
2002)
Weekly anb05309.txt - #9/9 - THE END