Weekly ANB1023_04.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 23-10-2003      PART #4/7

* Côte d'Ivoire. Journaliste assassiné  -  Le journaliste français, Jean 
Hélène, correspondant de Radio France Internationale en Côte d'Ivoire, a 
été assassiné par balles mardi 21 octobre par un policier ivoirien, dans le 
quartier général de la police ivoirienne à Abidjan, où il attendait la 
libération des onze opposants arrêtés la semaine dernière pour les 
interviewer. M. Hélène aurait reçu une balle dans la tête "suite à une 
altercation avec le policier qui a mal tourné", selon le porte-parole de la 
mission française en Côte d'Ivoire. Les autorités ivoiriennes ont 
d'ailleurs annoncé l'arrestation du policier soupçonné. "C'était un 
amoureux fou de l'Afrique. Nous aimions tous cette folie et cette passion", 
a déclaré à l'antenne de RFI Jérôme Bouvier, directeur de la rédaction. 
Jean Hélène est né en 1953 à Mulhouse, et était devenu un collaborateur de 
Radio France Internationale en tant que pigiste en 1988. Amoureux de 
l'Afrique, il a intégré la rédaction en 1998 en tant que journaliste 
spécialisé avant de partir pour Libreville, au Gabon, en tant qu'envoyé 
spécial permanent à partir de novembre 1999. Il ainsi couvert les guerres 
du Rwanda, de République démocratique du Congo, de Somalie et du 
Liberia.   (D'après AP, 22 octobre 2003)

* Erythrée/Ethiopie. La paix menacée  -  Le 18 octobre, l'Erythrée a évoqué 
un risque de nouvelle guerre dans la Corne de l'Afrique. En cause: le refus 
de l'Ethiopie de reconnaître la frontière entre les deux pays tracée par 
une commission indépendante mise sur pied à la suite d'un accord 
international. Signé en 2000, cet accord d'Alger avait mis fin à une guerre 
de deux ans (70.000 morts) entre les deux voisins. Le Premier ministre 
éthiopien, Meles Zenawi, a de nouveau contesté, devant le Parlement, le 
tracé de cette frontière, la qualifiant d'"illégale" et appelant à une 
médiation de l'Onu. - 20 octobre. Lors d'une conférence de presse à Asmara, 
l'envoyé spécial de l'Onu en Ethiopie et en Erythrée, M. Legwaila, a appelé 
les parties concernées à un retour au calme. Il a souligné que, malgré les 
tensions politiques, la situation dans la zone frontalière demeurait stable 
sur un plan militaire, et il a demandé aux journalistes d'éviter d'alarmer 
outre mesure la population.   (La Libre Belgique, 20 octobre 2003)

* Ethiopia. Resisting the border ruling  -  16 October: Ethiopia's prime 
minister has warned that the border dispute with Eritrea could erupt at any 
time. Meles Zenawi told Members of Parliament (MP)s that any attempt to 
force Ethiopia to accept the legally binding decision would raise tensions. 
A Hague-based commission was set up to rule on the demarcation of the 1,000 
km border but awarded the hotly-disputed village of Badme to Eritrea. He 
said his government did not want to see a return to war, and emphasised 
that urgent action was needed. "It is impossible to say that these illegal 
and unjust decisions must be implemented as they stand," he said in a 
speech to Ethiopia's parliament. Mr Meles said that he felt that dialogue 
with Eritrea was the way forward, as had occurred after an international 
ruling over a territorial dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 16 October 2003)

* The Gambia. Army takes to farming  -  Africa's many coups have led some 
countries on the continent to devise other ways of engaging their armed 
forces. The aim is to make the military more productive and relevant to 
society, instead of toppling elected governments. In The Gambia, the army 
men and women are being provided with various skills including farming. 
Every morning after their normal military parade in the main army barracks 
in Yundum, about 25 kilometres from the capital, Banjul, the soldiers are 
lined up for their day's tasks on the farm. They are proving just as 
capable and efficient on the farm as they would in their barracks or when 
they are manning guard posts dressed in their military fatigue, armed with 
AK47 guns. The army has already cultivated over 40 hectares of land 
including rice, maize, water melon, bitter tomato and other foodstuffs that 
are often consumed in the barracks. In addition to the farm, the soldiers 
are also being allocated a huge piece of land so they can grow fresh 
vegetables to supplement their meals.   (BBC News, UK, 21 October 2003)

* Ghana. Ashanti board backs Anglo bid  -  15 October: Ghana's biggest gold 
miner, Ashanti Goldfields, has decided to back a $1.4bn buyout offer from 
UK-South African giant AngloGold. Anglo clinched the deal by raising its 
offer to 29 shares per 100 Ashanti shares from 26. Ashanti's shareholders 
-- including Ghana's government, which holds 17% -- must now back the deal. 
But jilted suitor Randgold Resources is considering upping its own $1.5bn 
offer by offering more cash and fewer shares. The response of investors was 
to back Anglo and sell Randgold shares.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 October 2003)

* Guinée. La présidentielle fixée au 21 décembre  -  Citant un décret signé 
du président Lansana Conté, les médias guinéens ont annoncé, mardi 21 
octobre, que l'élection présidentielle en Guinée aura lieu le 21 décembre 
prochain. Ce scrutin était déjà prévu en décembre, mais aucune date 
officielle n'avait jusqu'alors été fixée. Le 14 septembre, l'actuel chef 
d'Etat, malade, avait déclaré qu'il se portait candidat à sa propre 
succession, selon la demande exprimée en janvier par sa formation, le Parti 
de l'unité et du progrès (PUP). Le 19 octobre dernier, c'était au tour de 
l'Union des forces républicaines (UFR, opposition) de présenter son 
candidat, l'ancien Premier ministre Sidya Touré. Arrivé au pouvoir par un 
coup d'Etat en 1984, élu président en 1993 et réélu en 1998, Lansana Conté 
n'aurait donc pas pu se porter candidat. Mais un référendum constitutionnel 
organisé en novembre 2001 a supprimé la limitation du nombre de mandats 
(deux), permettant ainsi au général-président de se représenter.   (D'après 
AFP, France, 21 octobre 2003)

* Kenya. Hotel attack: 2 more charged  -  On 14 October, Kenyan state 
prosecutors charged two more suspects with murder for their alleged role in 
last year's attack on an Israeli-owned hotel which the United States blamed 
on al Qaeda. The pair were charged in a Nairobi court with 15 counts of 
murder -- the number of people prosecutors say were killed by an unknown 
number of suicide bombers in the attack. "We have charged two more people 
with 15 counts of murder in relation to last year's attack on the Mombasa 
Paradise Hotel," John Gachibi, a senior state prosecutor said. The charges 
brought against Hassan Mohammed and Abdullah Shariff bring to eight the 
number of suspects accused of the attack, which took place in November. 
They were not required to enter a plea for the charges until 15 October. 
The other six suspects have all pleaded not guilty to murder charges. The 
Paradise Hotel near the east African country's tourist resort of Mombasa 
was bombed within minutes of a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli 
airliner leaving Mombasa airport.   (CNN, USA, 14 October 2003)

* Kenya. Judges suspended  -  16 October: President Mwai Kibaki appoints 
two tribunals to investigate corruption allegations against half of Kenya's 
most senior judges who have been suspended. Local newspapers have printed 
the photographs and names of the 23 suspended judges. The President says in 
a statement the tribunal will investigate "allegations that the said 
judges... have been involved in corruption, unethical practices and absence 
of integrity in the performance of the functions of their office". A report 
released last month said corruption was rampant in the Kenyan legal system, 
with almost half of the country's judges and close to a third of its 
magistrates said to be corrupt. President Kibaki, who was elected last 
year, vowed to rid the country of corruption to win back donor support and 
made cleaning up the judiciary a key target. The International Monetary 
Fund stopped lending to Kenya three years ago because of the country's 
corruption. President Kibaki says the tribunal will investigate six of the 
country's nine judges in the Court of Appeals -- the highest court -- and 
17 judges out of the 36 in the High Court. The judges, who were named for 
the first time, have been suspended with immediate effect while the 
investigations are being conducted. The tribunal investigating the High 
Court judges is to be chaired by influential Kenyan constitutional lawyer 
Lee Muthoga, while the panel investigating the Court of Appeal judges will 
be headed by prominent Ghanaian Judge Akilano Akiwumi. The President's 
decision to name the tribunals comes after the judges implicated in the 
Ringera report released at the end of September, are given the option to 
either resign and leave quietly or be investigated by tribunals. Confusion 
reigns in the courts. Nairobi High Court is a beehive of activity as judges 
hurriedly pack their personal belongings ready to vacate their chambers. 
Scores of people sit idly outside after being informed that their cases 
cannot not be heard, or just watching the unfolding drama. One of the few 
judges who has escaped the purge looks overwhelmed after several urgent 
civil cases are moved to him.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 October 2003)

* Kenya/UK. Claims of gang rape by British troops rape are being taken 
seriously  -  Claims that British troops gang raped scores of African 
tribeswomen while serving in Kenya were given fresh credibility by the Army 
on 20 October. A senior officer in the military police confirmed the 
allegations against British soldiers were being taken seriously, despite 
recent attempts to undermine the testimony of their "victims". Last month, 
the British High Commission in Nairobi announced, after a forensic 
examination, that all police records alleging rape of about 600 women by 
troops in the 1980s and 1990s were forgeries. But a letter from Brigadier 
Maurice Nugent, of the military police, confirmed that, although a "large 
proportion" of files had been "altered", there were numerous cases "where 
we are confident the evidence has not been fabricated". A team of 40 
investigators from the British military police, Kenyan police and civil 
service has recently completed initial checks on police files of rape 
claims by women from the Masai and Samburu tribes. As many as 100 cases are 
likely to be pursued. Police have proceeded to interview 37 women in the 
Dol Dol area and are continuing investigations in Archers Post and Womba -- 
areas in northern Kenya where the British Army has trained since Kenya 
gained independence from Britain in 1963 -- now they are satisfied the 
claims have not been forged. In the letter to the women's solicitor, Martyn 
Day, dated 6 October, Brigadier Nugent adds: "We should be able to link an 
incident with a particular unit since we have records detailing who was in 
Kenya training during any given period. However, identifying potential 
suspects is likely to be protracted. Investigations into the assertion that 
members of the Army failed to act on reports are also under 
investigation."   (The Independent, UK, 21 October 2003)

* Kenya. "Day of reckoning" for those thriving on corruption  -  20 
October: President Mwai Kibaki says the "day of reckoning" has arrived for 
those used to thriving on corruption. Ruling out the possibility of 
pardoning the culprits, President Kibaki says that his government's war on 
corruption is a serious one and that nobody should treat the crusade as a 
joke. "Corruption has been one of the key problems with governance in the 
country," President Kibaki said on 20 October in a speech to mark Kenyatta 
Day, a public holiday set aside to honour Kenyans who fought for the 
country's independence. "The writing is on the wall...those who choose to 
engage in this vice must know they will be called to give an account of 
their actions," says Mr Kibaki. 22 October: An inquiry into Kenya's biggest 
corruption scandal has been abruptly adjourned because its vice-chairman 
has been suspended following the investigation into malpractice in the 
judiciary. Justice Daniel Aganyanya is among the 23 senior judges suspended 
by President Kibaki. The Commission of Inquiry into the Goldenberg scandal, 
in which Kenya lost up to $600 million through questionable exports of gold 
and diamonds between 1990 and 1993, was appointed by President Kibaki in 
February.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 22 October 2003)

* Liberia. Arms to be surrendered  -  16 October: The disarming of some 
45,000 fighters is due to begin today, with out-going President Moses Blah 
handing over a "big quantity" of weapons he has collected from 
pro-government militias. The head of the United Nations mission, Jacques 
Klein, says that the two rebel groups and government militias will start 
giving up their weapons in mid-November. The man who replaced Mr Blah on 14 
October, Gyude Bryant, has met the rebel leaders to urge them to disarm and 
to nominate the people they want to be part of the power-sharing government 
he heads. Each group has five of the 21 new ministers, including foreign 
affairs, justice and finance.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 October 2003)

* Liberia. Nouveau gouvernement - nouveaux heurts  -  16 octobre. M. Gyude 
Bryant a formé son nouveau gouvernement de large ouverture, composé de 21 
membres. A noter en particulier que M. Daniel Chea, qui était ministre de 
la Défense de l'ex-président Taylor et avait dirigé la guerre contre les 
mouvements rebelles, a été confirmé à ce poste. L'autre ancien ministre à 
avoir gardé son poste est M. Peter Coleman, ministre de la Santé. - D'autre 
part, l'envoyé spécial de l'Onu, Abou Moussa, s'est dit inquiet de rapports 
faisant état de reprises de combats entre les forces du LURD (Libériens 
unis pour la réconciliation et la démocratie) et du gouvernement près de 
Gbarnga, à 150 km au nord de Monrovia. La force de maintien de la paix de 
l'Onu (Minul) a déjà déployé la majorité de ses 4.000 militaires à 
l'intérieur et aux alentours de Monrovia. Elle garantira la sécurité de 
tout le Liberia lorsqu'elle aura atteint son plein effectif de 15.000 
hommes dans environ trois mois. -- 19 octobre. L'ancien président Moses 
Blah a remis aux forces des Nations unies un important stock d'armes, 
entreposées dans un abri de sa résidence à Monrovia, déclarant "nous ne 
voulons plus nous battre". D'autres armes ont également été remises aux 
Casques bleus, provenant notamment du camp des forces armées de Sheffelin, 
près de l'aéroport international. -- 20 octobre. Un membre fondateur du 
LURD, George Dweh, a été élu président du Parlement de transition du 
pays.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 octobre 2003)

* Liberia. New Speaker elected  -  20 October: Liberia's transitional 
assembly has elected George Dweh -- a founding member of the former rebel 
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd) -- as its new 
speaker. Mr Dweh -- who belongs to the movement's political wing and was 
the only candidate for the post -- garnered 49 votes out of a possible 72. 
He said that his first task in his new capacity would be to promote the 
process of national healing and disarmament in Liberia. "I will go beyond 
the factional level so as to reach all the members of the assembly," Mr 
Dweh said. His election comes six days after businessman Gyude Bryant was 
sworn-in as Liberia's new interim leader, tasked with steering the war-torn 
West African country to elections in 2005. Officials to be appointed by Mr 
Bryant will have to be confirmed by the National Transitional Legislative 
Assembly before assuming office. The country's three armed factions and 18 
political parties signed a power-sharing agreement on 18 August after the 
then president Charles Taylor's departure for exile in Nigeria.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 20 October 2003)

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