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Weekly anb0522_5.txt #6
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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 22-05-2003 PART #5/6
* Maroc. Ali Lamrabet condamné - Le 21 mai, Ali Lamrabet, directeur de
deux hebdomadaires satiriques, a été condamné à quatre ans de prison ferme
et aussitôt incarcéré. Ses deux hebdomadaires ont été fermés. Il était
poursuivi pour "outrage à la personne du roi" et atteinte au "régime
monarchique" et à "l'intégrité du territoire". En grève de la faim depuis
le 6 mai, M. Lamrabet est le représentant au Maroc de Reporters sans
frontières, qui a réclamé sa libération immédiate et dénoncé un procès
politique. Selon ses avocats, qui vont en appel, cette incarcération est du
jamais vu au Maroc depuis 30 ans. L'accusation est fondée sur un article
concernant le budget du palais, des dessins satiriques, un photomontage et
la publication d'extraits d'une interview d'un militant "républicain". Très
critiqué, le nouveau code de la presse, adopté en 2002, prévoit des peines
de prison pour atteinte aux "valeurs sacrées" du pays. (Libération,
France, 22 mai 2003)
* Mozambique. Famine looms - Mozambique is in danger of facing an acute
food shortage following a dry spell affecting much of the southern and
central regions, and flooding in the north. While the north is experiencing
floods, the United States Famine Warning System (FEWSNET) has warned that
rainfall in Maputo, the capital, in the period October 2002-January 2003
was the lowest in fifty years and the current drought Mozambique is
experiencing is much more severe than that of last year. FEWSNET pinpoints
the more remote parts of Gaza, Tete and Inhambane Provinces, as areas of
most immediate concern. The drought warning comes at a time when
Mozambique's coast has been hit by Cyclone Japhet which has brought
torrential rain to much of Inhambana, Sofala and Manica Provinces. The rain
is too late to assist in crop development. At sea, fishing has suffered a
serious setback as a consequence of the bad weather, with 27 fishing boats
sinking during the storm. (Frank Jomo, ANB-BIA, Malawi, 15 May 2003)
* Mozambique. Coalition de l'opposition - Le principal parti de
l'opposition mozambicaine, l'ancien mouvement rebelle de la Renamo, a
renoncé au projet d'aborder seul les élections municipales du 28 octobre.
Selon l'agence mozambicaine de presse (AIM), la Renamo a signé, le 17 mai,
un accord portant création d'une coalition électorale avec 10 partis
mineurs afin de présenter un front uni contre le parti au pouvoir, le
Frelimo. Elle se présentera aux élections municipales sous la bannière de
l'"Union électorale/Renamo". Selon le leader de la Renamo, Alfonso
Dhlakama, la coalition est le résultat des "pressions exercées par les
populations" qui souhaiteraient l'existence d'une opposition crédible
susceptible d'offrir une réelle alternative au Frelimo. (PANA, Sénégal,
20 mai 2003)
* Nigeria. Workshop for Catholic hospital managers - The Health
Department of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Lagos, in
conjunction with Sussex Research and Development Centre for Work Based
Learning and Leading (CBL&L), England, on 14-15 May organized a Workshop on
introduction to General Management for managers of Catholic hospitals in
the country. The workshop took place at the Divine Love Retreat and
Conference Centre (DRACC), Emene, Enugu, Nigeria. The Workshop which was
attended by about 100 participants comprising priests, religious and laity
hospital services coordinators and managers, was aimed at enhancing the
managerial capacity of the participants through modern technology and
skills. Among the issues discussed were problems of fear, and trust,
planning and delegation of power, management of time, management and
generation of resources, lack of skilled personnel, inability of managers
to set objectives and goals and responsibility without authority. Also
discussed were the stakeholders issue, expectations, challenges and
qualities of an ideal hospital manager and the utilization of modern skill
and techniques in the management of hospitals in the modern world. (Cath.
Sec. of Nigeria, 17 May 2003)
* Nigeria. Election results challenged - 21 May: Nigeria's opposition
leader has asked the Court of Appeal to cancel the results of last month's
presidential election. Muhammadu Buhari alleges that President Olusegun
Obasanjo's re-election was secured through fraud and violence. Both
Nigerian and international observers found that the election was marred by
rigging, particularly in parts of the south and east. Earlier, Nigeria's
police chief accused opposition groups of planning violence to disrupt next
week's inauguration of President Obasanjo. Inspector General Tafa Balogun
said youths were being trained to cause mayhem, and some were planning bomb
attacks. He did not name which group was behind the alleged plot and made
no mention of any arrests. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 May 2003)
* Nigeria. Obasanjo dissout le gouvernement - Le 21 mai, le président
Olusegun Obasanjo a dissous son gouvernement. Après avoir prêté serment le
29 mai pour son second mandat présidentiel, il nommera un nouveau
gouvernement qui sera plus modeste, a-t-il laissé entendre, avec 36 membres
au lieu des 49 ministres que comptait le précédent. L'élection de M.
Obasanjo reste toutefois toujours très contestée par le conseil musulman
des oulémas de la région nord du pays. Ces derniers jugent que les
résultats de la présidentielle du mois dernier ont été marqués par des
fraudes. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22 mai 2003)
* Rwanda. Life-imprisonment for former minister - 15 May: Rwanda's former
Information Minister, Eliezer Niyiteka, has been sentenced to serve the
rest of his life in prison. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
in Arusha (Tanzania) handed down the sentence for his part in the massacre
of Tutsi civilians in the ills of western Rwanda.Niyitegeka was arrested in
Kenya in February 1999, and his trial began in June last year. Pronouncing
the sentence, South African judge Navanethem Pillay said: "Mr Niyitegeka
organised the genocide, incited people to commit it and himself massacred
Tutsis in the hills of Bisesero". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 May 2003)
* Rwanda. Perpétuité pour un ex-ministre - Le 15 mai, le Tribunal pénal
international pour le Rwanda d'Arusha a condamné, à l'unanimité, à la
prison à vie pour génocide Eliézer Niyitegeka, ministre de l'Information
pendant le génocide de 1994. M. Niyitegeka, 50 ans, répondait de huit chefs
d'accusation, notamment de génocide et de crimes contre l'humanité, portant
sur des massacres de Tutsi dans les collines de Bisesero (ouest) entre
avril et juin 1994. L'accusé n'a cependant pas été reconnu coupable de
viol, comme le réclamait le bureau du procureur. - Le même jour, le TPIR a
condamné à 25 ans de prison l'ancien maire de la commune de Bicumbi,
Laurent Semanza, reconnu coupable de cinq chefs d'accusation (dont
complicité de génocide et crimes contre l'humanité) sur les quatorze
retenus contre lui. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 16 mai 2003)
* Rwanda/Kenya. Commission mixte - La réunion de la commission mixte
Rwanda-Kenya, la première du genre depuis 14 ans, a démarré ses travaux le
16 mai à Kigali avec à son ordre du jour d'importantes questions de
coopération bilatérale. La suppression du visa d'entrée figurera en bonne
place dans les discussions. Les travaux permettront aussi d'examiner les
voies et moyens de renforcer la coopération en matière d'éducation, de
santé et de sécurité. Les deux pays doivent également conclure des accords
d'extradition, d'assistance juridique dans les affaires criminelles et
d'application réciproque des décisions de justice, mais aussi un protocole
commercial. (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 17 mai 2003)
* Rwanda. Vers la dissolution du MDR - Le gouvernement du Rwanda, réuni
ce week-end à Kigali, a ordonné aux "services concernés" de mettre à
exécution la recommandation de dissoudre le Mouvement démocratique
républicain (MDR), votée le 14 avril par le Parlement. Le gouvernement
reproche à cette formation politique son "idéologie ethniciste
persistante", et a demandé aussi aux instances judiciaires de poursuivre
individuellement les personnes coupables de diffuser cette idéologie. Les
personnalités mises en cause ont rejeté en bloc les accusations portées
contre leur parti, se défendant de prôner une telle idéologie. Le MDR était
le second grand parti au Rwanda après le Front patriotique rwandais (FPR).
Le 8 mai, Human Rights Watch avait accusé le FPR de vouloir éliminer toute
force s'opposant à sa victoire aux élections prévues avant la fin de cette
année. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 mai 2003)
* Sénégal. Les victimes du "Joola" - L'association des familles des
victimes du naufrage du navire Joola, qui a fait plus de 1.800 morts le 26
septembre 2002, a refusé l'offre d'indemnisation de 4 millions de FCFA
(6.097 euros) faite par le gouvernement sénégalais. Elle réclame 50
millions de FCFA (76.224 euros) par personne. - D'autre part, les familles
des victimes réclament toujours le renflouement du bateau, de même que la
récupération des centaines de corps jamais retrouvés. Mais un plongeur
entré récemment dans le navire a estimé que l'épave, disloquée, fissurée et
ensablée, ne pourrait être que partiellement renflouée et juge préférable
de considérer désormais le bateau comme un sanctuaire. (ANB-BIA, de
sources diverses, 19 mai 2003)
* Somalia. War on terror hits orphans - 20 May: Thousands of Somali
orphans cared for by a Saudi aid agency could have their lives affected by
the United States' war on terror. The Saudi Arabia Government has ordered
its international staff working for al-Haramain aid agencies to leave
Somalia after a recent allegation from the United States Government that it
has links with terrorist organisations. The offices of al-Haramain have
already been closed in Bosnia, Croatia, Indonesia and Malaysia. In the last
few days the Ethiopian, Kenyan and Tanzanian offices have also been told to
close, according to al-Haramain officials. He said: "Our camps hardly have
enough food stocks for the next 10 days... and we don't know what will
happen after that". Despite his worried expression, Mr Qumaysi said that
the orphanage has been contacted by Somalis living abroad who are related
to the orphans and told them to keep the children for a while, while they
look for money. Some Somali businessmen have also asked teachers at the
orphanages not to send the children onto the streets, but to wait as they
try and raise the funds. Mr Qumaysi said: "It is strange that the US says
the Muslim aid agencies are terrorists, but they don't bring their own
agencies to replace them. Isn't this just another way of killing the
orphans whose parents have died during civil strive in
Somalia?" (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 May 2003)
* Somalia/Kenya. Persecuted Bantus begin new life - 20 May: The first
group of Somali Bantus are set to leave for the United States after years
in refugee camps in northern Kenya. Some 74 are due to leave on Tuesday and
Wednesday, with an additional 150 set to travel next month. They are the
first of 12,000 refugees identified for resettlement by the US Government
because of persecution back home in Somalia - mainly because of their
darker skin colour and hair. Many are illiterate, and for the last 10 days
have been attending special orientation courses at a transit centre in the
Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to prepare them for their new life. "We have been
training them how to use toilets, how to use a shower, how to switch on
lights, and how to read time," says cultural orientation trainer Lily Sonya
of the International Migration Organisation. On arrival in the United
States each of the Somali Bantu families will be assigned to a charitable
organisation which will help them to build a new life. (ANB-BIA, Belgium,
20 May 2003)
* Somalia. Peace strike closes Mogadishu - 21 May: Civil society
activists in Somalia have gone on strike to push for an end to the 12-year
civil war. The capital, Mogadishu, was paralysed by the strike which began
early today. School children stayed at home, hospitals closed their doors,
except for emergencies, and the universities stopped lectures. The strike
followed a big meeting on 20 May in Mogadishu where more than 14 civil
society groups, including the universities, the doctor's union, the two
education umbrella groups and others issued an eight-point appeal for
peace, starting with the strike. The other points include a call for the
people to make the warlords accountable for the killings, abductions and
rapes committed in the areas they claim to run, and the demolition of all
roadblocks in Mogadishu. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 May 2003)
Weekly News anb0522.txt - #5/6