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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)

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