Weekly anb02205.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 20-02-2003      PART #5/7

* Liberia. Heavy fighting on 4 fronts  -  Rebels fighting to oust Liberian 
President Charles Taylor are battling government troops on four fronts. 
Speaking to reporters, the Defence Minister says: "As I speak to you 
presently, there is fighting taking place on four different fronts; 
Tubmanburg, Gba..., in and around Zorzor and around the Kolahun 
area,".   (CNN, USA, 18 February 2003)

* Liberia. Les rebelles à l'est et l'ouest  -  13 février. Les rebelles 
libériens du LURD (Libériens unis pour la réconciliation et la démocratie) 
ont pris le contrôle de la ville de Toe, frontalière de la Côte d'Ivoire. 
Selon des informations concordantes, ils ont attaqué cette localité à 
partir de l'ouest de la Côte d'Ivoire, contrôlé par des rebelles ivoiriens 
depuis le mois de novembre. C'est la première fois que le LURD, basé dans 
le comté de Lofa (nord), mène des actions dans cette zone du pays. En Côte 
d'Ivoire, plongée dans une guerre civile, on indique que le gouvernement 
Gbagbo a, de son côté, recours à des Libériens hostiles au gouvernement 
Taylor. Les rebelles ivoiriens ont, eux, appelé à la rescousse des 
Libériens de l'ethnie qui fournit le principal soutien au président Taylor. 
-- 14 février. Plus de 500 personnes fuyant les combats dans la région de 
Roberts Port sont arrivées à Monrovia, après la prise de la ville par le 
LURD. Par ailleurs, environ 4.000 personnes de différentes nationalités, 
cherchant à quitter le Liberia pour se rendre en Guinée, sont bloquées à la 
frontière, fermée depuis le 7 février par Conakry. --18 février. Plus de 
30.000 Libériens ont été chassés de chez eux par la recrudescence des 
combats, la semaine dernière, dans l'ouest du pays, prenant le chemin de la 
capitale, et 6.000 autres sont entrés en Sierra Leone, a indiqué le HCR à 
Genève, qui prévoit également de rapatrier par avion 17.000 réfugiés 
sierra-léonais encore au Liberia. L'ouest du Liberia est, en grande partie, 
sous le contrôle des rebelles du LURD. On apprenait par ailleurs que 87 
soldats libériens en débandade, parmi lesquels 16 blessés graves, se sont 
rendus aux forces sierra-léonaises.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 
février 2003)

* Madagascar. Aide française  -  En visite à Antananarivo, le ministre 
français délégué à la Coopération et à la Francophonie, Pierre-André 
Wiltzer, a estimé que la stabilité politique était désormais garantie à 
Madagascar. Après un entretien avec le président malgache, il a annoncé une 
aide de près de 15 millions d'euros à Madagascar.   (La Croix, France, 17 
février 2003)

* Madagascar. Coup arrest  -  19 February: The former head of the armed 
forces in Madagascar has been arrested and charged with an attempted coup 
against the regime of President Marc Ravalomanana. General Bruno Rajohnson 
has been remanded in custody along with two other people. Since he took 
power, the new president has been very worried about attempts to overthrow 
him. On the night of 6 February a vehicle was stopped outside the ministry 
of defence in the capital, Antananarivo. Inside were two soldiers heavily 
armed with grenades. When questioned they said they were acting under the 
orders of a well known and outspoken critic of the government, Liva 
Ramahazomanana, and a top general whose identity was not revealed at the 
time. Now the government say that general was none other than General 
Rajohnson, a leading army officer who was armed forces chief under former 
President Didier Ratsiraka. But already one newspaper, La Tribune, is 
casting doubt on the likely culpability of the general. It says it is 
unlikely that he would have been involved in such a blatant attempt to 
overthrow the government. The paper also suggested that it would be a 
little odd that the general would choose as an accomplice Madame 
Ramahazomanana who has for a long time been under surveillance by the 
intelligence services for her anti-establishment views.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 19 February 2003)


* Malawi. Malawi bans third term protest  -  17 February: The Malawi 
Government has obtained a court order against a demonstration planned for 
today. The Forum for the Defence of the Constitution (FDC) was organising 
protests against government attempts to change the constitution to allow 
President Bakili Muluzi to stand for re-election next year. Last month, the 
government withdrew a bill from parliament in the face of widespread 
opposition. Shortly afterwards, there were clashes between pro- and 
anti-third term groups and the government says it obtained the injunction 
because of security concerns. Justice Minister Henry Phoya refused to give 
details of the security concerns but said they had been given to the court. 
Last year, the courts allowed anti-third term protests to proceed, despite 
a ban by Mr Muluzi. Mr Phoya admitted that those protests had been peaceful 
but said that circumstances had changed since then. "The people of Malawi 
have the constitutional right to stage a demonstration but that right has 
to be balanced with other considerations."   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 17 February 
2003)

* Malawi. Wall of silence surrounding AIDS  -  The true state of the 
HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa was laid bare on 18 February by a 
Malawian government minister, who took the unusual step of disclosing that 
three of his children have died of AIDS. While the present Malawian 
government has campaigned to raise awareness of AIDS since it came to power 
in 1994, it is rare for African dignitaries to let it be known that the 
pandemic has affected them personally. On 18 February, Thengo Maloya, the 
lands and physical planning minister, took the difficult and emotional step 
of revealing his family's loss to members of his staff during an AIDS 
awareness workshop. Mr Maloya, 56, said he had lost two sons and one 
daughter to the disease in the last 10 years. "It is very painful," said Mr 
Maloya. "They would have taken care of me and buried me but instead I have 
buried them at such an early age." The minister said it was time Malawians 
realised the extent of the disease in their country. He said that in the 
last six years alone his ministry has lost close to 100 key staff members 
to AIDS. His ministry is now understaffed and many who are still working 
are themselves ill and too sick to come to the office regularly, he said. 
Those who are not ill have lost many work days because they are either 
caring for a sick relative or attending a funeral.   (The Guardian, UK, 19 
February 2003)

* Maroc. Alphabet berbère  -  C'est officiel depuis le 10 février: les 
Berbères du Maroc auront leur alphabet. Sur recommandation de l'Institut 
royal de la culture amazigh (Ircam), Mohammed VI a décidé que le tamazight 
s'écrira désormais en caractère tifinagh. Une décision qui intervient un an 
après la nomination par le roi du professeur Mohamed Chafik à la tête de ce 
nouvel institut. Longtemps tues sous le règne de Hassan II, les 
revendications des berbérophones commencent à être entendues, d'autant 
qu'ils forment un puissant groupe de pression, très organisé et 
majoritairement composé d'intellectuels.   (J.A.I., France, 16-22 février 2003)

* Maroc. Nouveau complexe portuaire  -  Le 17 février, le roi Mohammed VI a 
lancé les travaux de construction d'un grand complexe portuaire, qui 
nécessitera un investissement de plus de 1,2 milliard de dollars. Le 
complexe, qui sera implanté sur un site à 35 km à l'est de Tanger (détroit 
de Gibraltar), comprendra un port en eau profonde, une zone franche 
logistique de 98 ha et des zones franches industrielles qui cibleront 
principalement des industries de production à vocation "export". Selon 
l'agence MAP, le projet consistera également en l'aménagement d'une zone 
"duty free" commerciale de 140 ha, une zone touristique de 190 ha, des 
infrastructures de connexions et des travaux hors site qui comprendront des 
liaisons autoroutières et une connexion ferroviaire avec Tanger.   (PANA, 
Sénégal, 17 février 2003)

* Nigeria. Ex-military dictator eyes power as civilian president  -  The 
main opposition candidate in Nigeria's April presidential elections works 
in an environment of arcadian plenty that belies his reputation for harsh 
asceticism. Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator famous for 
launching an authoritarian "war on indiscipline", uses a government-owned 
office whose lush gardens yield mangos, guavas and papayas. The view of the 
building from the road is dominated by a strikingly expansive tree from 
whose branches brown pods hang like socks on a washing line. Gen Buhari, 
smartly dressed in creamy-yellow traditional robes, brown sandals and a 
brimless hat, is softly-spoken and easy-going -- until a question about how 
he would like to be addressed arises. "I prefer general," he replies 
firmly. "I earned it." The answer is unsurprising in an election campaign 
dominated by former senior army officers who present themselves as the most 
suitable managers of a country in a crisis of corruption, poverty and 
social volatility. Gen Buhari's task is to prove he is better equipped than 
President Olusegun Obasanjo, another former military dictator, to help 
Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer achieve its first 
successful transition between civilian governments since independence. "The 
only way now I can check the bad politics in the country, I think, is to be 
part of it -- and see how I can influence it for the better," he 
says.   (Financial Times, UK, 17 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Oil strike  -  16 February: Nigeria's main oil workers' union 
has announced an indefinite strike that could cripple the country's crude 
oil exports. Nigeria is the world's seventh largest oil exporter and the 
strike, which union organisers will bite on Monday, is likely to push 
prices higher in the international marketplace. The news may alarm oil 
importing countries which are already facing high prices and the prospect 
of supply disruptions from the Middle East. 17 February: A strike by 
Nigerian oil workers has got off to a slow start and has so far failed to 
affect the country's oil exports. The Pengassan union of oil workers had 
said last week that a strike over a pay dispute could have a "biting 
effect" on oil exports. But the Nigerian government and oil company 
officials say the strike has not affected exports. The Nigerian Department 
of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it has sent staff to export terminals to 
carry out the supervisory role of its white-collar union members. 18 
February: Oil officials have called for talks with striking workers, in a 
bid to end the threat of mounting industrial action. Nigeria's Department 
of Petroleum Resources has invited workers of the senior staff union, 
Pengassan, for a meeting over complaints of pay and conditions.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 18 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Grève dans le secteur pétrolier  -  15 février. Le syndicat le 
plus important du secteur pétrolier du Nigeria, l'Union Pengassan, a 
proclamé une grève à durée indéterminée. Un blocus même partiel de la 
production nigériane pourrait avoir des répercussions immédiates sur le 
marché mondial. "Nous voulons contraindre le gouvernement à dialoguer", a 
dit le vice-président de l'Union. "Les revendications concernent 
l'adaptation des salaires et le paiement de sommes dues". Actuellement, la 
production journalière nigériane est d'environ 2 millions de barils. Les 
entrées du secteur pétrolier constituent une source irremplaçable de 
revenus pour les caisses du pays. - Le 18 février, on indiquait à Lagos que 
le département des ressources pétrolières avait dépêché des agents de haut 
niveau chargés de maintenir en activité les principaux services afin 
d'atténuer les effets de la grève, qui est entrée dans son quatrième jour. 
Déjà, de longues files sont apparues devant les stations service de la 
majorité du pays. Cependant, la Société nationale des hydrocarbures du 
Nigeria indique que l'enlèvement des produits pétroliers se poursuit avec 
la même vigueur.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 18 février 2003)

* Nigeria. ID scheme kicks off  -  18 February: A controversial and 
long-delayed identity card scheme is finally been introduced in Nigeria. 
Some 60,000 centres are due to open nationwide today for a period of two 
weeks for an estimated 60 million adults to register in Africa's most 
populous nation. However, some northern politicians oppose the scheme, 
fearing it will be used to cross-check other population records, including 
the voters roll. Correspondents say that population figures are often 
inflated in order to increase access to government resources. Some 
southerners say that the population in the north is far lower than official 
figures suggest. Such argument have delayed a census, which was supposed to 
have been conducted in 2001, 10 years after the last one in 
1991.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 18 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Diplomat shot dead in Prague  -  19 February: Czech police have 
launched a major investigation after a senior diplomat was shot dead at the 
Nigerian embassy in the capital, Prague. The dead man has been named as 
50-year-old Michael Lekara Wayid, Nigeria's consul in the Czech Republic. 
Police say they have arrested a 72-year-old Czech man. According to 
unconfirmed reports, the man is suspected of opening fire because he was 
the victim of a financial swindle by a Nigerian group. He is said to have 
been persuaded to give his bank details to someone posing as a senior 
Nigerian official. In recent years, Nigerian-based organisations have been 
suspected of operating fraudulent schemes in several countries, promising 
large returns on financial transactions.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 February 2003)

* Nigeria. 19 candidats à la présidentielle  -  Le 19 février, la 
Commission électorale nationale indépendante a annoncé que 19 candidats, 
dont le chef de l'Etat sortant, Olusegun Obasanjo, participeront à 
l'élection présidentielle en avril prochain. Ces élections seront les 
premières organisées depuis le retour à un régime civil en 
1999.   (Libération, France, 20 février 2003)

* Nigeria/Sao Tome e Principe. Oil dispute resolved  -  Nigeria and Sao 
Tome and Principe have resolved a dispute over the sharing of oil resources 
in the Gulf of Guinea. A statement issued by a Joint Development Authority 
(JDA) set up by the two countries said disagreements over the 
implementation of a 2001 treaty were settled at a meeting in the Nigerian 
capital, Abuja, on 6 February. Under the original treaty Nigeria was to 
have total rights over Oil Block 246, considered the most prolific in the 
Joint Development Zone shared by the two countries. In exchange, Sao Tome 
was to receive 10,000 barrels per day of crude oil and 250 scholarships, 
and have an oil refinery and a deep water port built for it. Oil produced 
in the rest of the joint zone was to be split 60:40 in Nigeria's favour. 
Following his election last year, President Federico de Menezes expressed 
reservations about the deal and sought a renegotiation of its terms. This 
resulted in the suspension of the award of oil blocks, which was to have 
been done in October last year. Revenue from all the oil blocks will now be 
shared by the two countries. With the new agreement, the allocation of oil 
blocks will now begin in May, he said.   (IRIN, Kenya, 14 February 2003)

* Rwanda. Suspect arrêté au Congo-Brazza  -  Le 14 février, un officier 
rwandais accusé de génocide a été arrêté au Congo-Brazzaville, ont rapporté 
les organes de presse. Le lieutenant Ildephonse Hategekimana commandait le 
camp militaire de Ngoma (province de Butare) en avril 1994. Le procureur du 
Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR) l'accuse de génocide, 
crimes contre l'humanité et crimes de guerre. Le TPIR n'a pas encore 
officiellement confirmé cette arrestation. Hategekimana se trouvait sur la 
liste des suspects pour lesquels Washington a offert jusqu'à 5 millions de 
dollars à quiconque fournirait des informations qui permettraient de les 
appréhender. Hategekimana est le second Rwandais accusé de génocide qui est 
arrêté au Congo-Brazzaville.   (Fondation Hirondelle, Arusha, 17 février 2003)

* Rwanda. Rwanda denies plundering Congo RDC  -  18 February: The Rwandan 
government has denied UN accusations that it is plundering the natural 
resources of neighbouring Congo RDC. A UN report last year detailed how the 
Rwandan Government and army, the Ugandan army, and Congolese and Zimbabwean 
Government officials continued to exploit Congo's resources. The report 
recommended financial sanctions against companies and individuals involved, 
including a number from Rwanda. But Rwandan Commerce Minister Dr Alexandre 
Lyambabaje, said: "Up to now we have been meeting the UN inspectors and 
they have not been able to give us evidence of what is in the 
report".   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 18 February 2003)

Weekly anb0220.txt - #5/7