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Weekly anb12124.txt #5
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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 12-12-2002 PART #4/5
* Kenya. Aftermath of terrorist attacks - 4 December: Despite the recent
bomb attack on a hotel in Mombasa which killed 13 people, Kenyan tourism
seems to be unaffected for the moment. Though only a week after the bombing
of the Paradise Hotel, the atmosphere is calm among foreign tourists
visiting the country. A British tourist explained: "We think that the
incident was isolated, it was targeted specifically at Israelis. We
recognize that Britain is becoming increasingly more of a target but I
think in this particular case we were OK." More than half a million
tourists visited Kenya in 2001. Around sixty percent came to the coast --
Israelis make up just one percent of the market. And while the bombing sent
shockwaves around the world, tourism to Kenya doesn't appear to have been
shaken, yet. 5 December: Confusion surrounded the investigation into last
week's attack on two Israeli targets in Kenya as police struggled today to
determine whether four of the 15 men being held for questioning had
anything to do with firing two missiles that barely missed an Israeli
airliner as it took off from Mombasa airport. "There's much confusion,"
said Deputy Police Commissioner William Langat, complaining that the
reports of witnesses on which the detentions were based "go from here to
there." In addition, all four men had given "reasonable" explanations for
being in the area near the site from where the missiles were fired, he said
without elaborating. Another man detained because of his connection to
those four was released late today. Rahdi Idha, who was picked up on 3
December, said he expected the others to be released soon. The four men
were detained on 2 december. Islam Idha, Rahdi's brother, and Twaya
Sufiyan, both Kenyans of Yemeni descent, were nabbed as they were returning
home from evening prayers at a nearby mosque. The other two -- Mohammed
Sbur and an unidentified Kenyan -- were friends of those men who went to
check on them late that night at the Mombasa police station where they'd
been taken, Langat said. 6 December: Human Rights Watch has accused police
in Kenya of using last month's attacks on Israeli tourists in Mombasa as an
excuse to crack down on refugees in Nairobi. The rights group says that
since 28 November the Kenyan police have conducted three large raids and
made "dozens of arbitrary arrests," detaining refugees from Ethiopia,
Somalia, Sudan, and Congo RDC. A Kenyan senior police official describes
the accusations as "unfair". 9 December: The police announce a $6,000
reward for information leading to the arrest of two men suspected of
carrying out the failed missile attack. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 December 2002)
* Kenya. Al Qaeda revendique Mombasa - Le porte-parole du réseau al Qaeda
d'Oussama Ben Laden a renvendiqué les attentats anti-israéliens perpétrés à
Mombasa le 28 novembre et menacé d'attaques "plus graves" contre les
intérêts américains et israéliens, dans un enregistrement sonore diffusé le
8 décembre par un site islamiste. Dans cet enregistrement diffusé par le
site www.jehadonline.org, Soulaimane Abou Ghaïth affirme que "les deux
opérations à Mombasa sont l'oeuvre d'al Qaeda". Ce site diffuse
régulièrement des communiqués et des enregistrements d'al Qaeda. -- Le 9
décembre, la police kényane a transmis les portraits-robots de deux
suspects des attentats, effectués à partir de la description de témoins, et
offert une récompense pour toute information permettant leur arrestation. -
Le 10 décembre, la police a identifié le dernier propriétaire de la voiture
piégée utilisée dans l'attentat-suicide, mais admet ignorer s'il fait
partie de l'équipe de kamikazes. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 11
décembre 2002)
* Kenya. Campagne électorale houleuse - Le 11 décembre, les dix
principaux partis politiques kényans ont signé un code de conduite
électorale, le second en un mois, alors que les violences, les injures et
les accusations d'achat de voix dominent la campagne des élections
générales du 27 décembre. Plusieurs cas de violence ont été enregistrés
dans le pays depuis les élections primaires les 25 et 26 novembre, bien que
les partis aient signé un code de conduite similaire à la mi-octobre. De
nombreuses accusations d'achat de voix, l'intimidation et l'utilisation
d'un langage injurieux dominent l'actuelle campagne électorale. Les partis
ont décidé de condamner et de dénoncer publiquement et systématiquement la
violence et l'intimidation. La Commission électorale a mis sur pied des
conseils pour la paix dans les circonscriptions, dirigés par les leaders
communautaires et religieux, qui vont collaborer avec la police pour éviter
les actes de violence électorale. (PANA, Sénégal, 11 décembre 2002)
* Kenya. Towards the elections - 5 December: Concern over the health of
Mwai Kibaki, leader of the opposition National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) who
has been injured in a car accident, has cast a cloud over the Opposition's
chances of winning the presidential election. 9 December: Further anxiety
grips NARC after hearing that its vice-presidential candidate, Wamalwa
Kijana, has been admitted to hospital in London. 11 December: Ten main
political parties sign an electoral code of conduct, the second in a month,
amid rising incidences of violence, foul language and claims of vote
buying.12 December: Human Rights Watch says that the hotly-contested 27
December elections has highlighted serious human rights shortcomings in
Kenya. In a new report, Human Rights Watch urges all candidates to adhere
to clear human rights agenda, which would address the iniquities and abuses
that persist in Kenya. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 December 2002)
* Lesotho. Court suspends bribery fine - 11 December: An appeals court
has suspended a $2.2 million fine against the Canadian engineering firm at
the heart of an alleged bribery scandal. Acres International has been
vigorously defending itself in the high-profile corruption case, denying
any knowledge of bribes allegedly paid in the 1990s. It has now won a
suspension of the landmark fine while the controversial case goes through
the appeals court. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 11 December 2002)
* Liberia. Civils en fuite tués - Le lundi 9 décembre, l'armée du Liberia
a fait état d'un nombre indéterminé de civils tués ce week-end lors d'une
offensive gouvernementale lancée contre la ville de Zorzor, près de la
frontière avec la Guinée. Cette ville a changé de mains à plusieurs
reprises en plus de deux ans d'affrontements entre forces gouvernementales
et rebelles. Selon des responsables, l'offensive de samedi a été couronnée
de succès et la ville a été reprise par le gouvernement. Des civils "ont
été touchés principalement par des balles perdues alors qu'ils tentaient de
fuir la ville au cours de l'attaque", a déclaré un responsable de la
Défense. Le bilan exact n'a pas été communiqué. (AP, 10 décembre 2002)
* Madagascar. Campagne électorale morose - Les Malgaches se rendront aux
urnes le 15 décembre pour des élections législatives anticipées. Ce scrutin
devrait permettre d'asseoir la stabilité politique du nouveau régime. Mais
visiblement, ce rendez-vous électoral ne suscite pas franchement
l'enthousiasme. Les habitants semblent attendre que les élections passent.
Mais les autorités semblent vouloir qu'elles se passent bien. Ainsi, pour
la première fois, le scrutin verra l'utilisation d'urnes transparentes dans
tous les bureaux de vote, ce qui fait dire à beaucoup que pour la première
fois aussi les élections seront vraiment transparentes, conformément à
l'engagement du nouveau régime. Ce qui n'empêchera par nécessairement
d'éventuelles irrégularités. (O. Péguy, Madagascar, 10 décembre 2002)
* Madagascar. 15 December polls - 5 December: Madagascar goes to the
polls on 15 December, almost exactly a year since disputed presidential
elections which plunged the island into a violent power struggle. The
much-anticipated legislative elections are expected to legitimise Marc
Ravalomanana's presidency and pave the way for further economic
reconstruction. The election is in line with demands by the international
community and the African Union (AU) that fresh polls be held before the
end of the year. This was part of a set of resolutions to defuse the
stand-off between ex-president Didier Ratsiraka, who refused to accept his
election defeat by Ravalomanana, who eventually declared himself president
-- a move endorsed by the country's highest court. Although 40 parties are
vying for 160 seats in the Malagasy National Assembly, analysts predict the
elections will probably develop into a power struggle between
Ravalomanana's newly founded party Tiako i Madagasikara (I love
Madagascar), and the traditional ruling AREMA party. 11 December: As the
first anniversary of last year's disputed presidential election approaches,
Amnesty International calls for impartial and independent investigations
into all reports of human rights violations and abuses unleashed in the
context of the political unrest following the elections. (ANB-BIA,
Belgium, 11 December 2002)
* Morocco. Al-Qaeda trial - 9 December: The trial of three Saudi
nationals accused of belonging to al-Qaeda and of plotting to blow up
British and American warships in the Mediterranean resumes in Morocco
today. Along with seven Moroccans, including two of the Saudi mens'
Moroccan wives, they are charged with conspiracy to commit murder and
attempted sabotage. The trial is due to get underway at 0830 (0830 GMT) in
Casablanca and if convicted the suspects could face the death penalty. The
trial is fiercely controversial here, with two very different versions of
what is behind the prosecution. The official account is of a major success
in defeating attempts by al-Qaeda to recruit in Morocco and open a new
terror campaign here, targeting both tourists and British and United States
warships. The three Saudis were allegedly plotting to buy small speed
boats, fill them with explosives and use them for suicide attacks against
the ships as they crossed the narrow Straits of Gibraltar. It is also
claimed they were planning bomb attacks on tourist buses and in a public
square used by holidaymakers. The alternative accounts put forward by the
defence in this trial and opposition figures in Morocco is that the
Moroccan security services were over-eager to impress the Americans. That
they arrested the three Saudis on a flimsy pretext -- obtaining confessions
through the use of torture. The same day, the trial is
adjourned. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 December 2002)
* Maroc/Espagne. Reprise du dialogue - Pour la première fois depuis la
crise qui a mis, en juillet, le Maroc et l'Espagne au bord de la guerre
pour le contrôle d'un îlot désertique, les chefs de la diplomatie des deux
pays doivent se rencontrer, ce 11 décembre, à Madrid. Mission: tenter de
"rétablir une relation normale". Depuis plus d'un an, Espagne et Maroc
accumulent en effet les griefs: non-renouvellement par Rabat de l'accord de
pêche, immigration clandestine ou trafic de drogue à partir des côtes du
Maroc, prospection pétrolière entre les côtes marocaines et les Canaries et
surtout soutien déclaré de Madrid au Front Polisario. La récente marée
noire en Galice a permis au Maroc un "geste" remarqué à l'égard des
Espagnols. Rabat s'est engagé "en tant que membre associé de l'UE" à
contrôler tous les monocoques de plus de quinze ans transportant des
produits à risque dans sa zone maritime. Une décision saluée par la
Commission européenne. (Libération, France, 11 décembre 2002)
* Morocco/Spain. Resuming ties - 11 December: The Moroccan and Spanish
foreign ministers are due to meet in Madrid -- their first talks since
tensions over the tiny island of Perejil erupted in July. Both sides hope
tat today's meeting will result in the normalisation of diplomatic
relations and the return of their respective ambassadors. Relations between
the two worsened when Spanish marines forcibly evicted some Moroccan
soldiers from the island, which both countries claim. There are many issues
which divide the two neighbours, and no-one expects the meeting to resolve
any of the major problems between Spain and Morocco. But the fact the two
foreign ministers -- Spain's Ana Palacio and Morocco's Mohamed Benaissa --
are talking at all signifies progress. Last time they were scheduled to
meet in September, Morocco cancelled at the last minute, accusing Spain of
having violated its airspace the previous day. This time, the climate seems
more positive, with a desire by both sides to normalise relations. Spain
withdrew its ambassador in July over the Perejil dispute, while Morocco had
withdrawn its ambassador the previous October without giving a reason. In
fact, Morocco's complaints with Spain are many. The most important is over
the former Spanish colony in Western Sahara which Morocco controls. Then
there are the Spanish north African enclaves -- Ceuta and Melilla and
various islands including Perejil which Morocco regards as occupied
territory. And there is the problem of Spain wanting to prospect for oil in
the waters between Morocco's Atlantic coast and the Spanish Canary Islands.
For its part, Madrid complains that Morocco does not do enough to stem
illegal immigration and drug trafficking into Spain. It also blames Rabat
for the collapse of the European Union agreement that allowed Spain to fish
Morocco's rich waters. -- Following the talks, Spain and Morocco have
failed to restore full diplomatic relations, but both foreign ministers
announce they are setting up working groups to address the main dividing
issues. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 11 December 2002)
* Maroc. Vote à 18 ans - Le 10 décembre, le Maroc a abaissé l'âge légal
du droit de vote de 20 à 18 ans, s'alignant sur la plupart des démocraties
occidentales. Le roi Mohammed VI a pris cette décision pour intéresser la
jeunesse marocaine au "projet de société démocratique moderniste" du pays.
Les élections législatives de septembre ont été marquées par un taux de
participation peu élevé (52%) et une montée des islamistes modérés. (Le
Figaro, France, 12 décembre 2002)
* Mozambique. Chissano's son appears in court - 5 December: The son of
Mozambique's president has testified in a packed court in the third week of
the murder case of journalist Carlos Cardoso. Three of the six suspects
told the court that Nhympine Chissano, 33, was behind the assassination
which shocked Mozambique two years ago. Following the accusations, the
judge ordered that he appear in court. Mr Chissano denied ordering the
killings but did admit he knew one of the defendants. President Joaquim
Chissano has said he wants justice done, irrespective of the allegations
against his son. The murder, and the subsequent investigation, have
highlighted the growing corruption in one of Africa's best performing
economies. Mr Cardoso was investigating allegations that $14 million had
disappeared from the main state bank at the time of his murder. He had also
denounced other shady deals, some involving international drug
deals. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 December 2002)
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