Weekly anb0528_01.txt #5

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 28-05-2003      PART #1/5

* Afrique. 3e centenaire des Spiritains  -  Ce matin, le pape a reçu le 
supérieur général et la direction de la Congrégation du St. Esprit, à 
l'occasion du 3ème centenaire de l'existence de la congrégation. Les 
Spiritains, comme on les appelle communément, furent fondés à Paris le 27 
mai 1703 par Claude Poullart des Places. En 1848, ils fusionnaient avec la 
Congrégation du S. Coeur de Marie, du bienheureux F. Libermann. La 
congrégation s'est spécialisée dans l'activité missionnaire et est surtout 
active en Afrique, aux Antilles et en Amérique du Sud.   (D'après Kerknet, 
Belgique, 26 mai 2003)

* Africa. Africa and the G8 Summit  -  25 May: France's President Jacques 
Chirac has urged the Group of Eight leaders of the world's major industrial 
nations to put their differences behind them to restore confidence in 
renewed global growth at next weekend's summit at Evian, hosted by France. 
He stands by France's opposition to the US-led war in Iraq. But he appeared 
anxious to put this divisive episode behind him to ensure that his meetings 
later this week with US President George W. Bush -- first at the St 
Petersburg tricentennial celebration and then at Evian -- should avoid 
acrimony. "Although there is some anxiety [about the recent differences], I 
am convinced that Evian can convey a message of confidence in world 
economic growth," he said. "But to justify this message, it has to be 
credible and the confidence fully justified." He says the G8 leaders will 
not be making special comment on the dangers of a weak dollar and the 
strong euro in the wake of last week's meeting of G8 finance ministers. "I 
don't think the present situation requires any particular comment. What we 
have got to make clear to the world is that we are determined to use all 
our energies to work together," he says. 27 May: Leaders of the G8 
industrialised nations will use a meeting with African leaders on 1 June to 
agree a plan for regional peacekeeping operations on the continent. Under 
the plan, support will be provided to regional organisations in Africa to 
enable them by 2010 to run their own peacekeeping operations. The G8 
leaders will meet heads of state from South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria 
and Senegal at a working dinner in Evian, France, ahead of the official G8 
summit meeting. Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general will also 
attend.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 27 May 2003)

* Africa. Action against the Media  -  Southern Africa: On 26 May, the 
Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) said that women make up an 
average of only 17 percent of media sources in Southern Africa although 
they make up 52 percent of the population. "The Gender and Media Baseline 
Study, a joint initiative of MISA and Gender Links, a southern African NGO, 
found that these figures reached 26 percent in Angola, and a low 11 percent 
in Malawi, irrespective of whether they were in the public or private 
media. Women in the media were more likely to be identified as a wife, 
daughter or mother, than a man was likely to be identified as a husband, 
son or father". Algeria: On 26 May, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) 
protested the suspended jail sentence handed down by an Algiers court 
against cartoonist Ali Dilem on 20 May 2003. Dilem, a cartoonist with the 
daily Liberté, received a suspended six-month sentence for a cartoon of the 
army's chief of staff, General Mohamed Lamari, published on 15 January 
2002. The court also fined Dilem 20,000 dinars; fined Liberté's editor 
Abrous Outoudert 40,000 dinars; and fined the newspaper 300,000 dinars. 
Cameroon: On 27 May, RSF denounced as "a serious attack on press freedom", 
the Cameroon government's closing of a new radio station on 23 May, a day 
before it was due to go on air. Police surrounded the offices in Douala of 
the privately-owned Freedom FM and closed it on the orders of the 
communications minister, who said it did not have permission to broadcast. 
Eritrea: On 23 May, RSF called on the Eritrean authorities to put an 
immediate and unconditional end to the illegal imprisonment of 18 
journalists, who are being held in an undisclosed location. Morocco: RSF 
has voiced deep concern about the condition of jailed newspaper editor Ali 
Lmrabet, who was rushed to Rabat's Avicenne hospital on 26 May and put on 
an intravenous drip. Lmrabet, who was imprisoned on 21 May, has been on 
hunger strike since 6 May. His physician said he is in a very weak 
condition. "He has not been able to drink since yesterday. He is throwing 
everything up. He has great difficulty talking, and he can no longer walk," 
the doctor said. RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said the organisation 
is "terribly worried" and urged the authorities not to return Lmrabet to 
prison. "He must remain in hospital for a considerable period of time and 
must get the best treatment," Ménard said.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 27 May 2003)

* Africa. NEPAD Summit  -  28 May: Leaders from across Africa are meeting 
in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss the economic regeneration programme for 
Africa, known as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). It 
is a plan that has the backing of industrialised nations, who have promised 
increased aid in return for governance reforms across the continent. 
However, the project has been slow to get off the ground. It won much 
praise when it was launched as an African-led initiative to reform 
economises, fight corruption and promote democratic values. Last year, 
leaders of the G8 industrialised nations promised, in principle, to provide 
aid and debt relief in support of NEPAD.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 28 May 2003)

* Africa. Bush signs $15 billion AIDS-fighting plan  -  28 May: President 
Bush has signed an emergency plan to help fight Aids in Africa and the 
Caribbean, describing measures against the disease as among the most urgent 
needs of the modern world. at a signing ceremony at the State Department, 
Mr Bush said Aids was filling graveyards, creating orphans and leaving 
millions in a desperate fight for their own lives across Africa. Mr Bush 
said his country had a moral duty to act -- and he called on Europe, Canada 
and Japan to follow Washington's example. The new measure allows the United 
States Government to spend $15bn on preventing the spread of Aids over the 
next five years. The legislation will nearly triple US contributions 
towards fighting Aids, but it must still be approved annually by the US 
Congress. The Director of a joint United Nations programme on HIV and Aids, 
Peter Piot, praised the initiative, saying the money could dramatically 
reduce deaths from the disease that has killed more than 20 million 
people.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 28 May 2003)

* Afrique de l'Ouest. Sommet de la CEDEAO  -  Les dirigeants de l'Afrique 
de l'Ouest se rencontreront le 28 mai dans la capitale nigériane Abuja, 
pour un sommet extraordinaire qui coïncide avec le 28e anniversaire de la 
CEDEAO. Parmi les points saillants du sommet figure notamment la signature 
d'une Déclaration portant sur un mécanisme sous-régional de paix et de 
sécurité, dans un contexte de conflits croissants au sein de certains Etats 
membres. Par ailleurs, les dirigeants participeront également à une réunion 
du comité de mise en oeuvre du NEPAD (Nouveau partenariat pour le 
développement de l'Afrique). Ils désigneront un groupe de personnalités 
chargées de mettre en oeuvre le mécanisme de revue par les pairs, dont 
l'objectif est d'assurer une meilleure gouvernance. Ils prendront également 
des dispositions pour veiller à ce que le NEPAD soit à l'ordre du jour du 
prochain sommet du G8, prévu en France.   (PANA, Sénégal, 27 mai 2003)

* Algérie. Après le séisme  -  Le bilan du tremblement de terre s'aggrave 
de jour en jour. Le vendredi soir, 23 mai, le gouvernement faisait état de 
1.600 morts et plus de 7.000 blessés. Mais des centaines de personnes 
restent écrasées sous les décombres de dizaines d'immeubles et de maisons 
dans les petites villes de Boumerdès, Reghaïa, Rouiba, Corso ou encore à 
Aïn Taya, à quelques dizaines de kilomètres à l'est d'Alger. - Le 24 mai, 
le président Bouteflika s'est rendu à Boumerdès, mais a été conspué par la 
foule qui exprimait sa colère contre un pouvoir accusé d'avoir été 
incapable de porter secours aux siens. - Le 25 mai, au soir, le bilan du 
séisme était passé à 2.162 morts (dont 1.273 dans la région de Boumerdès) 
et 8.965 blessés; le 26 mai, il était de 2.217 morts et 9.085 blessés, mais 
des centaines d'individus manquent toujours à l'appel. Le nombre de 
sans-abri s'élève à environ 15.000 personnes. L'inquiétude grandit quant 
aux risques d'épidémies dans les zones les plus touchées. Pendant ce temps, 
la colère s'enfle contre le gouvernement accusé de corruption et les 
promoteurs immobiliers qui y ont trouvé leur compte. Le président 
Bouteflika a ordonné une enquête pour déterminer les responsabilités dans 
les effondrements de dizaines d'immeubles. - Le 26 mai, les autorités ont 
pris une surprenante décision: l'interdiction de toute collecte de dons qui 
n'auraient pas été autorisée par la willaya (préfecture). En réalité, Alger 
redoute de voir les islamistes, très actifs dans la solidarité, marquer des 
points auprès de la population. - Le 27 mai au soir, une nouvelle secousse 
tellurique importante (5,8 sur l'échelle de Richter) a été ressentie dans 
la région d'Alger. Des immeubles se sont effondrés à Zemmouri et à 
Boumerdès. Neuf personnes pourraient avoir trouvé la mort et près de 200 
autres ont été blessées. - Pendant ce temps, les tueries ne s'arrêtent pas. 
Dans la nuit du 26 au 27 mai, 14 personnes d'une même famille ont été 
assassinées à Tadjna, dans la région de Chlef (200 km à l'ouest d'Alger). 
Cette nouvelle tuerie intervient au lendemain d'un autre massacre de 8 
personnes dans cette région réputée pour être une zone d'activité du Groupe 
islamiste armé (GIA).   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 mai 2003)

* Algeria. Earthquake aftermath  -  23 May: International teams are 
arriving in Algeria to join the desperate hunt for survivors of a huge 
earthquake that has devastated the north of the country. Hundreds -- 
perhaps thousands of people -- have been trapped under collapsed buildings 
since the 21 May's evening's tremor. Powerful after-shocks hitting the 
capital Algiers and surrounding area are persuading many people to spend 
the night in parks and open spaces. An interior ministry spokesman says 
that the death toll now stands at 1,117 while nearly 7,000 are thought to 
have been injured. "Unfortunately we have not finished establishing these 
increasingly tragic figures," Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia says. 24 May: 
Nations from South Africa to Germany have been pledging aid to Algeria, 
where the death toll from the earthquake is now believed to be more than 
1,600. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 
-- which has a team of experts on the scene -- is coordinating relief 
efforts. The agency has already requested $1.5m to provide assistance 
including medicines, food and blankets. Scores of bodies continue to be 
pulled from the rubble of Algeria's earthquake as rescuers race against 
time to find remaining survivors. Among the reported successes was the 
rescue of an two-and-half-year-old girl, pulled alive from the remains of a 
collapsed building. The discovery --reported by state radio -- gives hope 
to those combing the rubble as international rescuers and aid workers step 
up their efforts, sending specially trained dogs and listening devices. 25 
May:International rescuers in Algeria have called off their search for 
survivors of the earthquake which has killed more than 2,000 people. A 
member of the UK's rescue contingent says: "The chances of finding anyone 
alive were now so minimal that we feel putting our own people into 
buildings would be more risk". According to figures released by the 
Algerian interior ministry, yesterday, at least 2,047 died in the quake, 
with 8,626 injured. But officials fear the final toll could exceed 3,000 
fatalities. The government plans to set up an emergency housing committee 
to build new homes for survivors. There is widespread anger at the lack of 
temporary housing in the stricken area, where thousands are sleeping in the 
open. The main priorities are now clean water and sanitation for people in 
the disaster zone, who remain traumatised by continuing aftershocks, our 
correspondent says. 26 May: Health and aid workers have stepped up relief 
efforts in the region of Algeria hit by the earthquake. Workers have fanned 
out across the region on the eastern coast of the country with the aim of 
preventing outbreaks of diseases such as cholera. Medics and aid workers 
said so far there were no signs of diarrhoea epidemics among the 
population, but there was a risk they would flare up in the makeshift camps 
many residents have been forced to live in after their houses were 
destroyed. Today, the authorities promise to investigate whether shoddy 
construction work was to blame for the high death toll in last week's 
earthquake. 27 May: A strong aftershock has hit northern Algeria where an 
earthquake last week left more than 2,000 dead and thousands more injured 
and homeless. The latest tremor, with a magnitude of up to 5.8, caused 
widespread panic, with residents running into the streets as buildings 
swayed and in some cases collapsed. At least 200 people were reported 
injured by state television in Algiers and also Boumerdes -- one of the 
cities worst hit by last week's quake -- and there were unconfirmed reports 
of further deaths. "Families rushed out of buildings. Everyone took to the 
streets. In central Algiers people were scared, real scared, holding their 
children and babies in their arms," a Reuters correspondent in the city 
said. The new tremor's epicentre appeared to have been in Zemmouri, around 
50 km east of the capital, Algiers and close to the epicentre of the 21 May 
earthquake.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 27 May 2003)

* Angola. Lutte contre les clandestins  -  La police nationale angolaise 
s'inquiète de l'intensification de l'immigration clandestine et envisage de 
renforcer le contrôle de ses frontières. Depuis la fin de la guerre civile, 
en avril 2002, le phénomène a pris des proportions alarmantes, notamment 
dans le nord et l'est du pays. Le gouvernement estime que ces clandestins, 
venus majoritairement du Congo-RDC pour exploiter le diamant, portent 
gravement préjudice à l'économie nationale.   (J.A.I.), France, 25 mai 2003)

* Burkina Faso. Pénurie d'eau à Ouagadougou  -  Le 22 mai, le gouvernement 
a annoncé de nouvelles mesures plus strictes visant à conserver l'eau de la 
capitale Ouagadougou. Les pénuries ont atteint des niveaux critiques dans 
la ville et certains habitants ont passé les trois derniers jours devant 
des robinets secs. Des camions-citernes seront utilisés pour approvisionner 
ces quartiers. La température atteint 44 degrés pendant la journée et les 
principaux réservoirs d'eau de la capitale ont commencé à tarir, aggravant 
les pénuries chroniques dans cette ville peuplée de 1,2 million 
d'habitants. Le prix de l'eau achetée de citernes privées a été multiplié 
par dix à cause de la pénurie.   (IRIN, Abidjan, 23 mai 2003)

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