Weekly ANB0925_06.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 25-09-2003      PART #6/7

* South Africa. Promoting 11 official languages  -  South Africa is to 
introduce legislation to promote equal use of its 11 official languages and 
redress the dominance of English and Afrikaans. Adriaan van Niekerk, an MP 
driving the new legislation, said its essence was to empower the people of 
South Africa by promoting multi-lingualism. Under the proposed law, South 
Africa's 11 official languages will be categorised into six language groups 
because some of the languages are so similar. Government departments would 
then be required to communicate with the nation in the six language groups. 
No legislation will be signed by President Thabo Mbeki unless it is 
translated into the six language groups. At present, South Africa's laws 
require legislation to be translated from English into at least one other 
language before it is signed into law. The other language has been mainly 
Afrikaans. Under the proposed law, each government department will have a 
language committee to implement the policy and monitor the implementation 
of the proposed legislation. It has been estimated that the cost involved 
in implementing the new policy will be 1 per cent of the budget of each 
government department. Professor Niekerk said a recent survey had shown 
that only 20 per cent of South Africa's 45 million people understood the 
Executive when it communicated in English. He said it was unfair that 
anybody should be expected to do business in their second or third 
language. He dismissed suggestions that the new policy was not practicable 
or too difficult to implement. "Those who say multi-lingualism is very 
costly have never calculated the cost of mono-lingualism," he said.   (The 
Independent, UK, 24 September 2003)

* Sudan. From soldiers to schoolboys  -  The child soldier is a saddening 
image of Sudan's long and costly civil war. Boys as young as 10 have fought 
on both sides in the conflict, which has taken up all but seven of the 
years since Africa's largest country gained independence from Britain in 
1956. The survivors have lost their education, as well as their innocence. 
But thousands of young soldiers from both the mainly Muslim, northern-based 
government army, and the predominantly Christian, southern-based rebel 
forces, are returning to school in the capital, Khartoum. It is not 
uncommon to see a 23-year-old, perhaps a veteran of 10 years of war, 
walking to one of the city's volunteer-run schools. Like their younger 
counterparts, students wear white shirts and have different coloured 
trousers depending on their grade -- brown for primary pupils and grey for 
seniors. They have made their own way hundreds of miles from the 
battlegrounds of the south, many walking. Almost all work in the mornings 
to support themselves, attending lessons in the afternoons. The Sudanese 
government devotes just 3% of its expenditure to education. It is thought 
that 42% of children never receive any education. Of the remaining 58%, 
most do not finish basic school.   (BBC News, UK, 22 September 2003)

* Sudan. A "nodding disease" hits children  -  Children in southern Sudan 
are dying of what may be the world's newest and oddest disease -- an 
illness so rare and mysterious that science has not yet come up with an 
official name for it. The children are gripped by a series of brain 
seizures which force their necks to arch forwards, down, and then up again. 
The people in this isolated corner of southern Sudan are calling the 
disease, the "nodding disease". Dr Mickey Richar, a tropical disease 
specialist with UNICEF, says: "We have no clue what is causing this". So 
far, almost 300 children are known to have caught the disease -- all in one 
small region of the country. Bizarrely, the seizures normally occur when 
the sufferers start to eat, or when it is particularly cold.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 23 September 2003)

* Soudan. La paix s'installe  -  18 septembre. Les autorités de Khartoum et 
l'Armée de libération du Soudan (SLA) ont signé un accord pour autoriser 
l'accès "libre et sans containte" des agences humanitaires à la région du 
Darfour, où la situation s'est dégradée ces six derniers mois, rapporte 
l'agence officielle de presse soudanaise. La situation humanitaire dans le 
Darfour, qui couvre environ 20% de la superficie du Soudan, s'est dégradée 
en raison des combats et du banditisme, qui ont entraîné le déplacement de 
400.000 civils. Avec l'accord, les agences espèrent pouvoir accéder de 
nouveau aux 500.000 personnes qui bénéficiaient de leur aide auparavant. 
--D'autre part, le 19 septembre, les pourparlers au Kenya entre le 
vice-président soudanais, Ali Ousman Taha, et le leader des forces rebelles 
de l'Armée de libération du peuple du Soudan (SPLA), John Garang, sont 
entrés dans leur 15e jour. Le secrétaire d'Etat américain Colin Powell a 
exhorté le président el-Béchir à "accélérer" les pourparlers et 
"d'intensifier les efforts" de paix afin de parvenir à un accord final. - 
20 septembre. Les Nations unies ont soumis un programme de 140 millions de 
dollars pour une assistance d'après-guerre immédiate si les belligérants 
venaient à retrouver la paix. -- 21 septembre. Le gouvernement et la SPLA 
ont décidé de prolonger de deux mois le cessez-le-feu qui devait expirer 
fin septembre. "Nous espérons pouvoir parvenir à un accord de paix dans 
deux mois", a déclaré John Garang. -- 24 septembre. Le gouvernement 
soudanais et le SPLA sont parvenus à un accord de paix définitif lors des 
négociations engagées au Kenya, a annoncé mercredi le secrétaire soudanais 
aux Affaires étrangères, Eltighani Saleh Fidail. Selon lui, l'accord conclu 
prévoit une séparation entre la religion et l'Etat, le droit à 
l'autodétermination du Sud-Soudan et la formation d'une armée nationale 
intégrant les forces régulières et les éléments de la SPLA. L'accord 
prévoit également la tenue d'un référendum d'autodétermination après une 
transition de six ans et un partage équitable des ressources 
pétrolières.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 18-24 septembre 2003)

* Sudan. Peace deal in sight  -  19 September: Hopes of an agreement at 
Sudanese peace talks in Kenya have been raised, with Foreign Minister 
Mustafa Osman Ismail saying a final settlement could be reached within 
days. Today, delegates are discussing two of the outstanding issues -- the 
size and the length of deployment of military forces in southern Sudan 
during a six-year interim period. Both sides have agreed that 36,000 troops 
should be initially deployed -- the government and the rebel Sudan People's 
Liberation Army (SPLA) contributing 18,000 troops each. But the SPLA wants 
the joint force reduced to 6,000 after the first two years of the interim 
period, which the government objects to. 21 September: The government of 
Sudan and the SPLA, which controls much of the south of the country, have 
agreed to extend their ceasefire by two months. The ceasefire had been due 
to expire at the end of September and is seen as a key element in the peace 
process aimed at ending a 20-year war which has killed some two million 
people. The extension was announced by Kenya's foreign minister Kalonzo 
Musyoka. "One of the things we have agreed as a first measure will be an 
extension of the cessation of hostilities agreement," he said. SPLA leader 
John Garang says: "We expect to reach a peace settlement in two months". 24 
September: The government of Sudan and the SPLA agree on security 
arrangements for the south of the country. This has been the main stumbling 
block at the peace talks. Under the deal Sudan will have two armies under 
separate command and control during a six-year interim period. "The SPLA 
army will be commanded by the movement's political leader, John Garang, 
while the government forces will be commanded by President Hassan 
al-Bashir," says the SPLA spokesman, Samson Kwaje.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 
September 2003)

* Tchad. Déby en visite à Paris  -  Le président du Tchad, Idriss Déby, a 
effectué une visite officielle en France du 17 au 20 septembre, pour 
"renforcer les liens de coopération entre les deux pays". Cette visite a 
été l'occasion de rencontres tant au niveau politique (avec le président 
Chirac, le chef de la diplomatie française, le ministre de la coopération) 
qu'économique. Elle intervient alors que le Tchad, l'un des pays les plus 
pauvres du monde, est en train de devenir un producteur de pétrole non 
négligeable. Confiée à un consortium exclusivement américain (après le 
retrait de Elf), l'exploitation du gisement de Doha devrait procurer 
plusieurs milliards de dollars de revenus annuels au Tchad. Au cours des 
différentes rencontres avec les responsables français, la délégation 
tchadienne a soumis un certain nombre de besoins pour lesquels le concours 
de la France pourrait être nécessaire. Elle a demandé notamment à la France 
de s'engager plus dans la mobilisation des fonds pour le développement 
rural au Tchad, a déclaré le ministre tchadien des Affaires 
étrangères.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 septembre 2003)

* Togo. Fuel stealing syndicate smashed  -  Togo's National Anti-Corruption 
Commission says it has successfully smashed a syndicate of drivers of 
public service vehicles, which has been siphoning and diverting official 
petrol rations for sale on the black market in Lome. The startling 
disclosure was made on 15 September following the arrest of 10 drivers of 
official vehicles, while they were in the process of emptying quantities of 
jerry cans into containers of empty drums in a hidden private garage in 
Lome. According to a press communique released by the Anti-Corruption and 
Economic Sabotage Commission, two of the ring leaders of the gang of truant 
drivers were picked up by the police who caught them right in the 
act.   (Ghanaian Chronicle, Ghana, 22 September 2003)

* Uganda. Revamping the Constitution  -  Ugandans are losing trust in their 
ten-year-old Constitution. According to a 2003 Uganda Poverty Report, the 
proportion of those who feel that the Constitution reflects their values 
has fallen from 74% two years ago, to 64%. this year. Government officials 
thought that a participatory approach in constitution-making could yield 
trust. Yet people's trust is increasingly being eroded as the years go by. 
Recently, the government has let it be known that it is intent on lifting 
restrictions on the presidential term of office, to give Museveni an 
open-ended rule. However the Constitution is very clear -- no more than two 
terms! Crispus Kiyonga, the National Political Commissar of the ruling 
National Resistance Movement, has told journalists that the Cabinet has 
already approved the abolition of the two-terms limits, and will ignore 
findings of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) in which it is 
becoming increasingly apparent that most people don't want the limits to 
the presidential term of office, tampered with. The CRC was set up in 2001 
to review parts of the Constitution, so that it will reflect changing 
social and political aspirations. It was expected to have completed its 
work within 18 months but the Government extended its mandate for another 
four months. The Commission is expected to publish its draft Constitution 
in October this year.   (Crespo Sebunya, ANB-BIA, Uganda, 15 September 2003)

* Uganda. Movement Act  -  The Movement Act gives Dr Crispus Kiyonga, the 
National Political Commissar sweeping powers over staff at the Movement 
Secretariat. The Act passed by Parliament on 18 September, only awaits 
assent by President Yoweri Museveni to be effective. Originally, the 
National Executive Committee (NEC) chaired by Museveni used to appoint all 
staff at the Secretariat. The NEC comprises MPs, district chairpersons, 
women and youth representatives according to the new Act. "Now the power 
has been decentralised," Mr Latigo Olal, the director of external relations 
at the Secretariat said. The new law allows the NEC to appoint the 18 
directors and deputies. The Movement Secretariat has about 600 
employees.   (The Monitor, Uganda, 20 September 2003)

* Uganda. 30 killed in cattle raid  -  21 September: Ugandan officials say 
cattle rustlers have killed 30 people in a raid in the north-eastern 
district of Katakwi. The Karamojong warriors attacked a camp housing 
displaced people in the Gariang area on 20 September, said Katakwi district 
commissioner Ndiwa Chemasuet. "They shot people savagely -- they shot 
anybody on sight". Thirty people -- including three women, a boy and a baby 
--were wounded and rushed to Soroti hospital, he said. Twenty-one bodies 
were found at the scene and nine bodies were discovered later in nearby 
countryside. Ugandan officials say a search is continuing for more 
bodies.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 September 2003)

* Ouganda. Massacre par des Karimojong  -  Le samedi 20 septembre, environ 
200 guérilleros karimojong, lors d'un raid de vol de bétail, ont perpétré 
un massacre de civils dans le nord-est de l'Ouganda. Selon des sources 
locales, au moins 30 personnes ont été tuées dans le camp de réfugiés de 
Magogo (district de Katakwi). 32 blessés ont été hospitalisés. L'attaque a 
provoqué un exode de civils vers la paroisse catholique de Toroma (diocèse 
de Soroti). Le bilan des victimes pourrait encore augmenter, une dizaine de 
cadavres ayant été retrouvés à l'extérieur du camp. Les pillages de bétail 
sont très fréquents dans la région de Karamoja.   (D'après Misna, Italie, 
22 septembre 2003)

* Uganda. Bus crash carnage  -  22 September: Almost 50 people have died 
and another 30 have been injured in a road accident near Uganda's border 
with Rwanda. The bus was travelling from Burundi and was carrying many 
Rwandan and Burundian schoolchildren who were returning to study in Uganda. 
A truck was carrying sacks of maize to Burundi for the UN World Food 
Programme when it collided with the bus head-on in Kyonyo, just 4km from 
the Rwanda-Uganda border town of Gatuna. The impact was so great that the 
bus was thrown into the air and off the road killing a woman sitting in 
front of her home. The Ugandan police report that 46 people died on the 
spot, whilst several dozen survivors with serious injuries have been 
transported to a hospital in the nearby town of Kabale. Schools are 
currently reopening and eyewitnesses report that amongst the dead were many 
Rwandan and Burundian schoolchildren who were heading to Uganda to study. 
Eyewitnesses describe a horrific scene, with bodies and body parts strewn 
amongst the bus wreckage. Police said they had not conducted a detailed 
investigation yet but suspected the accident was caused by speeding. One 
eyewitness said the bus was travelling at excessive speed despite a sharp 
bend -- and was on the wrong side of the road. The drivers of both vehicles 
were killed. A team of doctors has been flown in from Rwanda to back up the 
local medical staff at Kabale hospital, he added.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 22 
September 2003)

* Ouganda. Collision mortelle  -  Cinquante morts et une trentaine de 
blessés, tel est le bilan tragique d'un accident de la route survenu le 22 
septembre entre un bus et un camion du PAM transportant de l'aide 
alimentaire dans le sud-ouest de l'Ouganda, à six kilomètres de la 
frontière rwandaise. Selon des sources hospitalières, le bus transportait 
notamment des Burundais et des Rwandais à destination de Kampala. Des 
témoignages relatent que le chauffeur du bus a doublé une voiture et est 
entré en collision avec le camion-remorque. Les blessés ont été transportés 
d'urgence à l'hôpital de Kabale, à une quinzaine de kilomètres du lieu de 
l'accident.   (Misna, Italie, 23 septembre 2003)

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