Weekly anb10244.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 24-10-2002      PART #4/7

* Egypt. El Alamein veterans remember dead  -  19 October: Veterans who 
fought in one of the most important battles of the Second World War have 
returned to remember their deceased comrades in an emotional ceremony. 
Soldiers from all sides of the Battle of El Alamein, a bitter 12-day fight 
in the autumn of 1942, made the journey to Egypt to honour those who died 
60 years ago. About 150 retired servicemen, many now in their 80s, attended 
the ceremony of remembrance at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in the 
desert. Almost 90 former soldiers came from Britain -- the majority in 
uniform -- to salute the memory of their friends who died as young men in 
the fierce desert war. They served in General Bernard "Monty" Montgomery's 
Eighth Army. German and Italian troops who served in the routed Afrika 
Korps were also expected at the ceremony.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 October 2002)

* Egypte. Procès d'islamistes présumés  -  Le 20 octobre, vingt-trois 
Egyptiens et trois Britanniques, accusés d'appartenir à un groupe islamiste 
interdit, le Parti de libération islamique, ont plaidé non coupables à 
l'ouverture de leur procès devant un tribunal d'exception. Amnesty 
International a exprimé son inquiétude à la suite d'informations indiquant 
que les ressortissants britanniques avaient été torturés.   (Libération, 
France, 21 octobre 2002)

* Eritrea. Relations with USA deteriorate  -  The Eritrean government has 
reacted furiously to criticism from the US State Department which has 
called on the Eritrean government to release two local employees of the US 
embassy in Eritrea who have been in detention since last year. It also 
urged the Eritrean government to grant them an open and fair trial and to 
"respect fundamental human rights". The Eritrean released a statement which 
said it totally rejected the State Department's position, and called on it 
to refrain from unwarranted intervention. The statement also accused the 
previous Clinton administration of employing the CIA to seek to unlawfully 
change the government in Asmara, during the war between Eritrea and 
Ethiopia.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 October 2002)

* Ethiopia. "Peacekeepers' security is not threatened"  -  19 October: 
Ethiopia has reacted strongly to United Nations assertions that the 
security of peacekeepers stationed in the region has been seriously 
threatened by Ethiopian villagers and militia. The Ethiopian ministry of 
information issued a statement accusing the UN peacekeeping mission in 
Ethiopia and Eritrea (Unmee) of putting out one-sided and distorted 
information. Officials were angry about reports earlier this month that UN 
troops overseeing the ceasefire that ended a 30-month territorial war were 
threatened by armed villagers and militia along the disputed border with 
Eritrea. The UN said its peacekeepers working in Aromo were surrounded and 
threatened by 50 to 60 armed villagers and some 10 militiamen. In their 
statement, Ethiopian officials said: "The Unmee office has distortedly 
revealed to the media what should have been initially dealt with between 
the pertinent Ethiopian authorities and Unmee."   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 
October 2002)

* Ethiopia. Explosion in a school  -  21 October: Police in Ethiopia are 
investigating an explosion in a classroom at a school in the capital, Addis 
Ababa. The blast, which took place at Kokebe Tsibah Primary School, is 
reported to have injured 28 pupils, three seriously. Ethiopian police say 
the blast was caused by a grenade. which was brought into the school by a 
student. The classroom was covered in blood and students' shoes and text 
books littered the room, AP news agency reported. There were 59 pupils in 
the classroon aged between nine and 12. Police spokesman Haile Abebe said a 
hand grenade held by a 10-year-old pupil exploded at 1035 (local time). 
They are now investigating the incident.   (BBC News, UK, 21 October 2002)

* Kenya. Ministers linked to clashes  -  18 October: A report has 
recommended that prominent current and former Kenyan ministers be 
investigated for their alleged roles in tribal clashes. The clashes took 
place in the run-up to elections in 1992 and 1997 and left thousands dead. 
The report was submitted to the government in 1999, but only released today 
after a court ordered the government to make its findings public. The 
judicial report names current ministers: Nicholas Biwott, Julius Sunkuli 
and Maalim Mohamed. It also names four former ministers, including William 
ole Ntimama, who resigned last week to join the opposition National Rainbow 
Coalition, as among those who should be investigated. Government critics 
say that the clashes were organised by powerful individuals to force 
opposition supporters to flee constituencies where the ruling Kanu party 
faced close election contests. Senior officials in the provincial 
administration and the police force have also been mentioned as having 
either incited people to violence, or turned a blind eye when the violence 
erupted. Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes in Rift Valley, 
Central and Western Kenya and on the coast. Launching the report compiled 
by a commission headed by Justice Akilano Akiwumi, Attorney General Amos 
Wako insisted that people mentioned in the report should not be presumed 
guilty, until a court of law ruled that they were indeed guilty. He told 
reporters that 11 years after what was then referred to as ethnic cleansing 
started, investigations were still continuing.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 18 
October 2002)

* Kenya. Fin de la grève des enseignants  -  Les enseignants des 
établissements publics du Kenya reprendront, le mardi 22 octobre, le chemin 
de l'école, mettant ainsi un terme à une grève entamée il y a 29 jours en 
raison d'un différend sur les salaires. Le syndicat a décidé de lever son 
mot d'ordre de grève "dans l'intérêt des enfants". Après des négociations 
le vendredi, les pouvoirs publics ont accepté de commencer à appliquer la 
hausse des salaires de 200% promise en 1997. Le syndicat veut continuer à 
faire campagne pour les droits des enseignants.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 
21 octobre 2002)

* Kenya. NARC's candidate  -  22 October: Mwai Kibaki, the official leader 
of the opposition in parliament, will be the candidate for an alliance of 
more than 12 parties known as the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). The 
ruling KANU party has already announced President Moi's nominee, Uhuru 
Kenyatta, as its candidate, which prompted a wave of defections of senior 
ruling party figures.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 22 October 2002)

* Kenya. Candidat unique de l'opposition  -  L'opposition kényane, 
regroupée dans une alliance, a nommé l'ancien vice-président Mwai Kibaki 
candidat commun à l'élection présidentielle de cette année. M. Kibaki, 71 
ans, a été professeur d'université, député, ministre des Finances et 
vice-président. Il a été nommé le 22 octobre par la Coalition nationale 
Arc-en-ciel (NARC) qui regroupe le Parti de l'alliance nationale du Kenya 
et le Parti démocratique libéral. M. Kibaki devra faire face au candidat de 
la KANU, Uhuru Kenyatta.   (PANA, Sénégal, 22 octobre 2002)

* Liberia. Worn Bank notes crisis  -  Liberia is struggling with a 
rebellion in the north and northwest of the country, but another crisis has 
broken out that is making life much harder for Liberians. Business people 
now refuse to take "mutilated" banknotes. In Liberia today, you cannot be 
sure how much money you have in your pocket as some of the notes may be 
rejected for being in a poor state. Business people, from roadside peddlers 
to supermarkets, do not accept banknotes that are slightly torn, let alone 
those that are "mutilated". Daily, housewives return angry and frustrated 
from the market, complaining that they could not buy goods because their 
notes were refused. The "mutilated" banknotes issue is so serious that 
families have had to go hungry for days while keeping bundles of slightly 
damaged notes. Hospitals, cinemas, petrol stations, drugstores, clinics and 
restaurants -- all adhere to the practice. As a result, even street beggars 
are now reluctant to accept worn banknotes since they, too, cannot use them 
anywhere. There are no coins in circulation at the moment. The local 
currency was introduced in 1999, in five, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Liberian 
dollar denominations. The money was meant to replace the two distinct 
currencies that existed each on one side of Liberia when the country was 
divided on factional lines, with the armed faction of President Charles 
Taylor controlling one side. Central Bank Governor Elie Saaleby this week 
warned people not to refuse "mutilated" notes, but it is not the first time 
the governor has issued a warning without success.   (BBC News, UK, 17 
October 2002)

* Liberia. Archbishop probes nun killings  -  The head of Liberia's Roman 
Catholic church ordered an investigation into the slayings of five American 
nuns during the West African nation's brutal 1990s civil war. Sisters Mary 
Joel Kolmer, Barbara Ann Muttra, Agnes Mueller, Shirley Kolmer and Kathleen 
McGuire were killed in October 1992 when rebel fighters led by warlord 
Charles Taylor -- now Liberia's president -- were besieging the capital, 
Monrovia. The sisters were members of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ 
order, based in Ruma, Illinois. Collectively, they had more than 50 years 
of service in Liberia, a nation founded by freed American slaves in 1847. 
At a commemorative service on 20 October for the nuns, Monrovia's 
Archbishop Michael Francis said he has named a three-member commission to 
investigate the killings. Findings will be forwarded to Rome, he said. The 
nuns "came to serve our people in the fields of education, health care and 
pastoral concerns," Francis said."They were killed because they served 
their neighbours."   (CNN, USA, 22 October 2002)

* Libye/France. Une normalisation en bonne voie  -  Le 18 octobre, le 
ministre français des Affaires étrangères, M. Dominique de Villepin, a 
effectué une visite en Libye, où il a rencontré le colonel Kadhafi, ainsi 
que son homologue M. Chalgham et le secrétaire du comité populaire libyen 
de l'Unité africaine, M. Triki. M. Chalgham dirigera le 21 octobre à Paris 
la délégation libyenne aux travaux de la commission mixte franco-libyenne, 
qui ne s'est plus réunie depuis près de 20 ans. (Ndlr.: Le 21 octobre, M. 
Chalgham a été reçu par le président Chirac). Avec M. Triki, le ministre 
français a notamment examiné les possibilités d'une coopération 
franco-libyenne dans le domaine sanitaire en Afrique et d'une conférence 
internationale sur les investissements en Afrique conjointement organisée 
par la France et la Libye.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 19 ctobre 2002)

* Madagascar. Vers les législatives  -  L'AREMA, le parti de l'ex-président 
malgache Didier Ratsiraka, présentera des candidats aux prochaines 
législatives annoncées pour le 15 décembre, a fait savoir son secrétaire 
général. Bien que le parti juge cette date "prématurée", vu le manque de 
préparation, il veut relever le défi. "Nous présenterons des candidats, si 
les impréparations administratives et matérielles restent dans des limites 
raisonnables, si les règles du jeu démocratiques sont respectées, et si la 
communauté internationale accompagne le pays dans le processus démocratique 
en cours", a-t-il affirmé. - Par ailleurs, le dernier Premier ministre de 
l'ex-président malgache Didier Ratsiraka, M. Tantely Andrianarivo, a été 
incarcéré, le 21 octobre, à la prison d'Antananarivo notamment pour 
usurpation de fonctions, détournement de deniers publics, recel de 
malfaiteurs et atteinte à la sûreté de l'Etat. Les poursuites judiciaires 
contre les barons du régime déchu semblent ainsi se poursuivre, notent les 
observateurs dans la capitale malgache, qui y voient une violation des 
négociations et accords de Dakar. Au total, ils sont au nombre de 83 
"détenus de sécurité", comme les appelle le Comité international de la 
Croix-Rouge, dont les procès devraient s'ouvrir bientôt, notamment "avant 
les élections législatives", selon un responsable de la justice 
malgache.   (PANA, Sénégal, 17-22 octobre 2002)

* Malawi. Opposition leader granted bail  -  21 October: Opposition leader 
Gwanda Chakuamba, who is facing defamation charges, is released on bail, 
today, when a magistrate rules the government does not have sufficient 
grounds to hold him. Chakuamba, leader of the main opposition Malawi 
Congress Party, was arrested on 20 October after the government alleged 
that he impersonated President Bakili Muluzi by signing the president's 
name to a controversial letter on statehouse stationery. The opposition 
leader was arrested along with his personal secretary, Grace Mhango. 
Parliamentarians Demster Chikhawo and George Lowe were arrested this 
morning. The opposition dismisses the charge as a political ploy and say 
the country's constitution prevents the arrest of a parliamentarian while 
Parliament is in session. The arrest comes amid a government crackdown on 
opponents of a constitutional amendment that would allow Muluzi to run for 
a third term when his second five-year term expires in 2004. On 18 October, 
Parliament expelled two ruling party lawmakers who had declared their 
opposition to the amendment, which was narrowly defeated in July and is 
expected to be resubmitted to Parliament. The letter police accused 
Chakuamba of writing reportedly spelled out strategies for ensuring the 
passage of the amendment. It appeared to be signed by Muluzi.   (CNN, USA, 
22 October 2002)

* Maroc. Droits de l'homme en islam  -  Un colloque international sur les 
"droits de l'homme en islam" s'est ouvert le 17 octobre à Rabat à 
l'initiative du centre culturel saoudien en collaboration avec la faculté 
des lettres et des sciences humaines de Rabat. Parmi les thèmes inscrits à 
l'ordre du jour du colloque, qui doit durer deux jours, figurent les 
déclarations islamiques des droits de l'homme, l'universalité de la 
religion musulmane, la particularité des droits de l'homme dans la charia 
et les droits des non musulmans en islam.   (AFP, France, 17 octobre 2002)

* Maroc. Mouvement d'officiers libres  -  Un comité d'action des officiers 
libres des forces armées a fait son apparition au Maroc. Dans un communiqué 
transmis cette semaine à la presse étrangère, ses signataires --de jeunes 
officiers anonymes opérant au Sahara occidental, selon des sources 
françaises -- dénoncent "le pouvoir des généraux en place et de certains 
officiers supérieurs" qui puisent "dans les caisses des différents corps 
d'armée (...) au détriment des troupes et des hommes qui ont subi une 
constante détérioration de leur niveau de vie en caserne". Menaçant de 
"passer à l'action directe", le groupe demande au roi Mohammed VI de 
prendre en considération leurs revendications "pour le bien et l'avenir des 
Forces armées royales". Celles-ci incluent la mise à la retraite des 
patrons actuels de l'armée, un contrôle rigoureux des dépenses sociales des 
armées, la libération et l'intégration des officiers condamnés pour avoir 
dénoncé la corruption au sein de leurs unités. C'est la première fois qu'un 
mouvement des officiers libres apparaît au Maroc.   (Le Monde, France, 18 
octobre 2002)

* Maroc. Islamistes: non au gouvernement  -  Le lundi 21 octobre, la seule 
formation islamiste représentée au Parlement marocain, le Parti de la 
justice et du développement (PJD), après avoir pris connaissance des 
développements concernant la formation du futur gouvernement, s'est 
déclarée "non concernée" à y participer. Mais le conseil national du PJD, 
qui s'est réuni dimanche, s'est dit prêt à tenir une nouvelle réunion "en 
cas de développements consistants" à ce sujet. Lors du scrutin du 27 
septembre, le PJD a obtenu 42 des 325 sièges que compte la Chambre des 
représentants, se positionnant comme la troisième force politique du 
pays.   (PANA, Sénégal, 21 octobre 2002)

Weekly anb1024.txt - #4/7