Weekly anb09265.txt #8

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 26-09-2002      PART #5/8

* Côte d'Ivoire. Africa reacts to coup attempt  -  Many African countries 
have condemned the attempted coup d'etat. Benin's President Kerekou 
condemns the "ongoing confrontation in Côte d'Ivoire". Mali's President 
Amadou Toumani Toure "deplores the violence and loss of life". The 
Government of Mauritius "strongly condemns the attempted coup against the 
democratically elected government of President Gbagbo". Niger condemns the 
coup attempt. Morocco expresses "relief" at the failed coup. Libya "roundly 
denounces" the attempted putsch. In other reactions, Ghana sends a 
four-member delegation to Côte d'Ivoire on a sub-regional mediation 
initiative to help calm down the upheaval in that country. Burkina Faso 
calls on its citizens living on the border with Côte d'Ivoire and truck 
drivers in the area to be "extra vigilant and report any suspicious 
movements to the appropriate authorities". On 24 September, Burkina Faso 
sealed its border with Côte d'Ivoire. The Angolan government formally 
denies media reports that its troops are in Abidjan in the wake of the 
military uprising in Côte d'Ivoire. Senegal's President Wade encourages 
French mediation in the crisis, saying: "France is better placed to mediate 
in the ongoing Ivorian crisis". A delegation of the Economic Community of 
West African States (ECOWAS) condemns the upheaval in Côte d'Ivoire and 
reaffirms their opposition to any attempt of unconstitutional change of 
government in the subregion.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 September 2002)

* Côte d'Ivoire. Concerns about foreign nationals  -  France: France has 
reinforced its military presence in Côte d'Ivoire and its troops are ready 
to evacuate foreigners. France/Italy: MISNA reports (on 26 September) that 
the French and Italian embassies have warned their nationals to prepare for 
eventual evacuation. The Gambia: The Gambia Government has expressed 
concern over the fate of the country's national football team trapped in a 
hotel in Bouake, together with the Senegal and Sierra Leone teams. The 
teams, who were in Côte d'Ivoire to compete in the regional Wafu Cup have 
been unable to leave the hotel because of fears for their safety. President 
Yaya Jammeh of The Gambia has ordered his private jet to air lift the 
Gambian players as soon as the team reaches Abidjan. The Gambian President 
is in talks with government officials in Sierra Leone and Senegal to find a 
safe corridor for the players to reach Abidjan. India: On 25 September, 
Ghana announced it has permission to India to use the country to evacuate 
its nationals trapped in the Côte d'Ivoire fighting. United States: US 
troops have landed in Ghana to safeguard American schoolchildren caught up 
in the fighting in Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire. Heavy shooting has been reported 
close to a Christian school housing some 160, mainly American, children. 
The deployment came at the request of the US ambassador in Côte d'Ivoire. A 
US navy spokesman says "the troops will go to Bouake and assist in moving 
American citizens from the Christian Academy where they are, to a safe 
location, still within Côte d'Ivoire". In fact, French troops evacuate the 
children.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 September 2002)

* Djibouti. US troops in Djibouti  -  19 September: As an American 
helicopter hovered overhead, several young men said they welcomed US forces 
in Djibouti a day after the Pentagon said it had sent 800 troops to the 
tiny but strategically important nation in the Horn of Africa. Acting 
Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali said several hundred American troops have 
been stationed at Le Monier barracks for about five months and that 
Djibouti has been cooperating in the US-led war against terrorism. The 
young men sitting in the shade chewing a semi-narcotic leaf known as khat 
said they've seen US forces in town since April, particularly at the small 
airport. "I'm happy they're here. There are no problems in Djibouti, the 
security is very good," said Abdurahman Moussa Soultan. "I don't like 
al-Qaida...they have no intelligence." Others said they hoped the US 
presence would mean jobs in this poor country which relies on port fees and 
foreign aid for survival. "For us it's good because we can make 
conversation with them and maybe have some jobs when more of them come," 
said Mohamed Said Ali. "We like to have Americans here." The foreign 
minister said the US troops have been training "in preparation for the next 
few months. The US presence is not new; we have been working with them 
since 11 September. We have been hearing (media reports) these days they 
are moving to attack Yemen. We have no information on that. We have helped 
them get the necessary facilities to carry out their manoeuvres". He said 
US forces have also been flying from Djibouti to a US ship in the Red Sea. 
Across the water is Yemen, where the United States is stepping up its hunt 
for al-Qaida operatives. (Editor's note: US diplomatic officials have 
denied that their forces are massing near the coast of Yemen in preparation 
for operations against al-Qaeda elements thought to be inside that 
country).   (CNN, USA, 19 September 2002)

* Egypte. 36 islamistes arrêtés  -  Trente-six "islamistes membres d'un 
groupe interdit, qui appelaient à renverser le régime", ont été arrêtés au 
Caire, le 24 septembre, par la police égyptienne. Selon elle, des tracts 
invitaient "à renverser le régime, haïr le dirigeant et nouer des liens 
avec d'autres organisations extrémistes". - Le lendemain, le parquet de la 
sûreté de l'Etat a placé les 36 hommes en garde à vue pour quinze jours 
pour les besoins de l'enquête.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 26 
septembre 2002)

* Egypt/Kenya. Business agreement signed  -  On 20 September, Kenya and 
Egypt signed a broad-based economic and business agreement aimed at 
smoothing and widening the sagging trade and economic relations between the 
two major states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 
(COMESA). The agreements are contained in a communique signed by Kenya's 
Minister of Trade and Industry, Nicholas Biwott, and his Egyptian 
counterpart, Youssef Boutros-Ghali, at the end of two days of talks in 
Nairobi. The two countries pledged to prevent further trade disputes by 
setting up "sustainable structures with in-built mechanisms to safeguard 
and deepen trade and investment links." Such mechanisms include the 
establishment of a joint Trade and Investment Committee within the 
framework of an economic agreement. The agreement also aims at fostering 
closer links between the two countries' business associations, through the 
setting up of a Joint Egypt-Kenya Business Council.   (PANA, Senegal, 21 
September 2002)

* Egypt. Mubarak seeks to concentrate minds on Israel  -  On 25 September, 
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt embarked a round of intensive diplomacy to 
calm tensions over Iraq and refocus attention on the Palestinian and 
Israeli question. As Arab states prepared to try to influence fresh 
resolutions in the United Nations on Iraq, Mr Mubarak travelled to Saudi 
Arabia at the head of a heavyweight delegation to meet Crown Prince 
Abdullah, the kingdom's de facto leader. Saudi Arabia said afterwards that 
the talks had covered developments in the Middle East, including "current 
fast-developing events that might lead to bad results". The president's 
lightning visit to Riyadh was made the day after he met Naji Sabri, the 
Iraqi foreign minister, in Cairo. Ahmed Maher, the Egyptian foreign 
minister, said Mr Sabri had reaffirmed to Mr Mubarak Iraq's commitment to 
allowing weapons inspectors to operate without conditions and told Mr 
Mubarak that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and no intention of 
developing such devices. Mr Mubarak told Mr Sabri that Baghdad must comply 
with UN resolutions and allow UN weapons inspectors to operate freely in 
Iraq.   (Financial Times, UK, 26 September 2002)@

* Eritrea. Death of a Patriarch  -  20 September: Since the early hours of 
this morning, Eritreans have gathered at the main orthodox church in Asmara 
to pay their final respects to Abuna Filipos. The first Patriarch of the 
Eritrean Orthodox Church died after a short illness on 18 September at the 
age of 101. Inside the church, his body lay in state, dressed in his 
official robes and a gold crown, as priests led the people in prayer and 
religious chants. Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and other top 
government officials came to the ceremony. The Patriarch of the Egyptian 
Coptic church to which the Eritrean orthodox is affiliated was also in 
attendance. Outside women clad in white, stood alongside priests dressed in 
their bright robes as the prayers were broadcast on loud speakers. Roughly 
half of Eritrea's population is Christian, the vast majority belong to the 
orthodox church, which was established in Eritrea and Ethiopia by the end 
of the fourth century. The patriarch Filipos began life as Berhane Tewolde 
and entered into religious life in 1912, at the age of 11, when he moved to 
the monastery of Debre Bizen, perched atop a high mountain on which women 
and even female animals are forbidden to set foot. This is where he will be 
buried on 21 September, his body flown there by helicopter. Made a Bishop 
in 1927 he served in Ethiopia until 1991.   (BBC News, UK, 20 september 2002)

* Ethiopia. Decline in overseas investment  -  Ethiopia is still struggling 
to attract overseas investment compared to other African countries, 
according to the United Nations. The UN's Conference on Trade and 
Development (UNCTAD) revealed that last year Foreign Direct Investment 
(FDI) amounted to just US $20 million -- the lowest level for almost a 
decade. The figure shows a marked decline on previous years where Ethiopia 
attracted over US $200 million per year. But the war with Eritrea sparked a 
massive downturn. Economists believe that the right economic policies and 
climate are in place but a world slowdown and the bitter two-year conflict 
with its neighbour had major implications for the economy. Other Horn of 
Africa countries have seen major increases in investment, like Sudan which 
last year attracted some US $574 million -- mainly for the oil business. 
According to UNCTADs World Investment Report for 2002, sub-Saharan African 
broke through the US $10 billion mark for the first time ever in attracting 
overseas investment. "Three countries -- Angola, Mozambique and Sudan -- 
together accounted for the lion's share of the total increase," UNCTAD 
said. The majority of the flows come from the United States, France and the 
United Kingdom, the report added.   (IRIN, Kenya, 19 September 2002

* Guinée/Sierra Leone. Réouverture de la frontière  -  La frontière entre 
la Guinée et la Sierra Leone a été rouverte après un peu plus de deux 
années de fermeture, a rapporté le 24 septembre la radiotélévision 
guinéenne, citant un décret présidentiel. Cette frontière avait été fermée 
au lendemain des attaques des rebelles sierra-léonais du RUF en septembre 
2000. La Guinée constitue un des principaux soutiens du régime du président 
sierra-léonais Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. En revanche, le gouvernement guinéen a 
décidé de fermer sa frontière avec la Côte d'Ivoire, en proie à une 
mutinerie.   (PANA, Sénégal, 25 septembre 2002)

* Equatorial Guinea. Appeal over arrests  -  Amnesty International has 
called for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed opposition 
member Fabian Nsue Nguema Obono. He is a lawyer and member of the 
opposition Popular Union and was arrested in Malabo in April for 
criticising the government. The organisation has also urged that human 
rights campaigners write letters to President Teodoro Obiang Nguema calling 
for investigations into allegations of the torture of Nguema Obono, and for 
the cancelling of a sentence against fellow party member Nsue 
Mibuy.   (IRIN, Kenya, 23 September 2002)

* Kenya. Opposition unites to challenge Moi  -  Kenya's opposition has 
united to name a single candidate for this year's general election, 
creating the first realistic prospect of unseating President Daniel arap 
Moi's ruling party after four decades in power. Mwai Kibaki, Mr Moi's 
former deputy and closest challenger in the last polls in 1997, was elected 
unanimously by delegates of the National Alliance of Kenya (NAK), which 
groups 12 opposition parties. Mr Moi, who became Kenya's second president 
in 1978, won the 1992 and the 1997 elections with substantially less than 
50 per cent of the vote. Undoubtedly aided by electoral fraud he was also 
helped by the opposition's failure to unite. In both polls he faced at 
least seven challengers. Between 1978 and 1992 he ruled as head of an often 
brutal dictatorship, when his organisation, Kanu, was the only legal party. 
NAK named Kijana Wamalwa, who came fourth in 1997, as Mr Kibaki's running 
mate, and Charity Ngilu, fifth last time round, as its candidate for prime 
minister. They represent the three main tribes.   (The Telegraph, UK, 20 
September 2002)

* Kenya. Projet de Constitution  -  Le 19 septembre, le projet de 
Constitution, présenté par la Commission de revue de la Constitution du 
Kenya, a provoqué des sentiments mitigés. Le projet préconise la création 
d'un poste de président avec moins de pouvoirs, une charge honorifique, et 
d'un poste de vice-président. Le bon fonctionnement du gouvernement serait 
assuré par un Premier ministre. Le document propose un Parlement bicaméral, 
comprenant l'actuelle Assemblée nationale composée de 210 membres élus par 
des circonscriptions électorales, et une nouvelle Chambre haute de 100 
membres élus au niveau des sièges des districts et des provinces. En ce qui 
concerne le judiciaire, le projet préconise la création d'une Cour suprême 
et l'établissement d'un code de conduite pour les juges. Le projet sera 
adopté 30 jours après la Conférence constitutionnelle nationale, puis 
présenté au Parlement pour devenir une loi. Rappelons que la Constitution 
actuelle donne au président d'immenses pouvoirs.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 
20 septembre 2002)

Weekly anb0926.txt - Part #5/8