Weekly ANB1029_07.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 30-10-2003      PART #7/7

* Soudan. Accords gouvernement/SPLA  -  23 octobre. Le gouvernement de 
Khartoum a promis d'aider des centaines de milliers de déplacés internes 
dans le Sud-Soudan, une fois que la guerre civile sera terminée. "Dès que 
l'accord de paix sera appliqué et que la sécurité sera garantie, nous les 
encouragerons à rentrer chez eux", a déclaré à Kampala le ministre 
soudanais des Affaires étrangères, Mustafa Osman Ismaïl. "Seule une 
véritable sécurité dans le Sud va donner une raison aux déplacés de 
retourner chez eux", a-t-il affirmé, soulignant que les négociations de 
paix devraient aboutir à un accord final. Il a toutefois indiqué qu'il 
reste toujours des points litigieux dans les négociations entre le 
gouvernement et la rébellion sudiste, à savoir la répartition égale du 
pouvoir et des richesses et l'administration des trois régions disputées 
(l'Etat du Nil Bleu, Abeyi et les monts Nouba) durant la période 
intérimaire. -- 28 octobre. Le gouvernement et les rebelles soudanais sont 
parvenus à un accord sur le partage des revenus tirés de la manne 
pétrolière, a déclaré une source haut placée de l'Armée de libération des 
peuples du Soudan (SPLA). En vertu de cet accord, 60% de la richesse 
pétrolière iront au Sud-Soudan et 40% au Nord, a révélé la source, qui a 
requis l'anonymat, au journal privé Khartoum Monitor. Concernant les zones 
litigieuses, toujours selon la même source, le gouvernement aurait accepté 
une proposition en faveur du rattachement d'Abeyi à l'Etat du Bahr 
el-Ghazal.   (PANA, Sénégal, 24-29 octobre 2003)

* Soudan. Darfour: attaques et discussions  -  Selon une dépêche de 
l'agence Misna du 28 octobre, neuf opérateurs soudanais d'une agence 
humanitaire américaine ont été tués au Darfour, alors qu'ils transportaient 
des aides alimentaires. L'agression a eu lieu la semaine dernière, a 
indiqué Andrew Natsios, le responsable de l'USAID. Dernièrement un 
quotidien de Khartoum avait rapporté des attaques de bandes armées 
islamiques dans cette région du sud-ouest, qui auraient provoqué une 
centaine de victimes. --D'autre part, le 28 octobre, une délégation du 
gouvernement soudanais et les rebelles du Mouvement de libération du Soudan 
(MLS), implantés au Darfour, ont entamé des discussions à Abéché (est du 
Tchad), selon des sources concordantes. Les deux parties avaient signé, le 
3 septembre, un cessez-le-feu de 45 jours. Les nouvelles discussions 
devraient "aboutir à une paix globale", les deux délégations affirmant 
"leur engagement à parvenir à la paix et à la stabilité" dans le 
Darfour.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 octobre 2003)

* Soudan. Accident d'hélicoptère  -  Le 28 octobre, un hélicoptère 
militaire soudanais s'est écrasé dans le centre du pays, tuant ses 20 
passagers. L'accident est dû apparemment à des "raisons techniques". 
Plusieurs accidents meurtriers d'aéronefs ont eu lieu ces dernières années 
au Soudan.   (La Croix, France, 30 octobre 2003)

* Tanzania. Witch killers arrested  -  23 October: Police in Tanzania say 
they have arrested a number of people suspected of murdering old women in 
the belief that they were witches. "Some of the suspects we are holding 
have confessed to killing these old women," the Shinyanga regional police 
commander, Mr Abdallah Missika, said. With "witchcraft"-related crimes on 
the increase in Tanzania, the police chief said old women with red eyes 
were being singled out for attack. Police also arrested a number of 
witchdoctors suspected of passing on the names of "witches" to people whose 
relatives had died "through witchcraft. It is believed that any aged, old 
woman with red eyes is a witch," Mr Missika said. The police chief also 
said that some of the suspects said they had been contracted to carry out 
the murders.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 23 October 2003)

* Chad. Polio outbreak reaches Chad  -  A polio outbreak spreading from a 
longtime hotbed of the disease in northern Nigeria has reached Chad, the 
fourth African nation this year to experience a resurgence of the disease, 
which public heath authorities hope to eradicate globally by 2005. In 
response, a $10 million emergency vaccination campaign that began last week 
in Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo, will be expanded to Chad at an 
additional cost of $3 million, World Health Organisation officials said. 
The two cases in Chad turned up in August in two southern provinces, 
Mayo-Kebbi and Logone Orientale.   (Washington Post, USA, 29 October 2003)

* Uganda. IGAD summit in Kampala  -  24 October: Work has begun in Kampala, 
Uganda, at a meeting of member nations of the Inter-Governmental Authority 
for Development (IGAD), the regional organisation which includes Sudan, 
Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea. The meeting will be 
centred particularly on the renewed tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, 
as also on the two peace processes presently underway in the region: the 
Sudan peace process and the Somalia peace process.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 
October 2003)

* Ouganda. Le fils d'Amin Dada de retour  -  Le fils aîné de l'ex-dictateur 
ougandais Idi Amin Dada, Taban Amin, 49 ans, accusé par Kampala de diriger 
un groupe rebelle visant à renverser le régime actuel, est revenu dans la 
capitale ougandaise, pour la première fois depuis la chute de son père en 
1979. Le président ougandais Yoweri Museveni qui l'a accueilli, a déclaré 
dans un communiqué que "personne n'a besoin de s'imposer un exil à ce stade 
de développement de l'Ouganda". La hiérarchie militaire avait accusé 
plusieurs fois Taban Amin de préparer des attaques contre l'Ouganda depuis 
la vallée de Semliki, dans le nord-est du Congo-RDC, le long de la 
frontière congo-ougandaise. Mais il n'y jamais eu aucune preuve de liens 
entre la rébellion ougandaise des Forces démocratiques alliées (ADF), 
active dans cette zone, et Taban Amin. Comme il n'a jamais été prouvé que 
Taban Amin ait réellement eu quelque groupe armé sous son commandement ou 
qu'il ait collaboré avec l'Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA). Depuis 
1998, Taban Amin vivait dans les locaux de l'ambassade ougandaise à 
Kinshasa, d'où il aurait récemment été expulsé, selon le quotidien 
ougandais "New Vision", par des responsables du gouvernement 
congolais.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 octobre 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Aide britannique  -  Le 23 octobre,la Grande-Bretagne a offert 
7 millions de livres sterlings au Zimbabwe pour financer l'importation de 
vivres et de médicaments et pallier la pénurie dans le pays. Sur ce 
montant, £5 millions sont destinés à l'aide alimentaire pour éviter une 
famine de masse suite à deux années de sécheresse consécutives. Le restant 
devrait servir à importer des médicaments. Ces fonds ont été offerts via le 
PAM et l'Unicef, qui se chargeront respectivement de la gestion des dons 
alimentaires et dons de médicaments.   (PANA, Sénégal, 23 octobre 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Opposition denied food  -  24 October: Human Rights Watch has 
accused the Zimbabwean government of denying its opponents access to food 
supplies. In a report entitled "The Politicisation of Food in Zimbabwe," 
the group says farmers recently resettled as part of President Robert 
Mugabe's land redistribution policy are among those affected. The 
government in Harare has denied the allegations. An estimated five million 
Zimbabweans -- more than a third of the population --will need food aid by 
the end of the year. In its 50-page report, Human Rights Watch documents 
how those suspected of being opposition supporters are denied help. It says 
government and ruling ZANU-PF party officials manipulate the distribution 
of subsidised grain and the registration of those eligible for 
international food aid. It describes the denial of access to food as a 
human rights violation as serious as arbitrary imprisonment or torture. The 
ruling party's information secretary, Nathan Shamuyarira, categorically 
rejected the findings. "There are so many people as you know in both London 
and Washington who write false reports about Zimbabwe. I can assure you 
that there is no politicisation of food." The allegations of political 
interference in the distribution of food are not new, but the suggestion 
that small-scale farmers who have been resettled are also affected is more 
unusual. Human Rights Watch says the Zimbabwean Government does not want to 
acknowledge that its highly controversial programme is a 
failure.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe "in good health"  -  On 28 October, the South African 
Press Association issued the following news report: "South Africa's Deputy 
Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad, and Zimbabwe's High Commissioner in 
Pretoria, Simon Moyo, have denied reports that President Mugabe is being 
treated in a South African hospital. Pahad said in Pretoria: "I've been 
informed that he is in Zimbabwe chairing the normal Cabinet meeting that 
takes place on Tuesdays. We have no official notification that he is in 
South Africa or that he has any health problems. That did not exclude the 
possibility that Mugabe may have visited the country", Pahad pointed out. 
The South African government is only informed of a visit from a foreign 
head of state if VIP treatment or other diplomatic assistance is required. 
Moyo also placed Mugabe in Harare". The same day, the BBC News said: "A 
spokesman for the South African foreign ministry, Ronnie Mamoepa also 
denied the media reports. He said: "President Mugabe is not in South 
Africa. If he was, the government would have been the first to know". Their 
comments followed media reports quoting unnamed sources in Zimbabwe as 
saying that Mr Mugabe had collapsed on Monday (27 October) and had been 
flown to South Africa for emergency medical treatment. Correspondents say 
here have been a number of rumours about Mr Mugabe's health in recent 
years".   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 28 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Army staff deployed in hospitals  -  29 October: Hundreds of 
medical staff in Zimbabwe's army have been deployed to help in hospitals 
which have been hit by a strike by doctors and nurses. Thousands of nurses 
joined doctors on strike at the beginning of the week pushing for huge pay 
rises, paralysing services in hospitals in the capital, Harare. The 
government has dismissed their demands as "ridiculous and disgraceful" and 
said the strike is illegal as medical staff are operating essential 
services. The striking workers are seeking pay rises of up to 11,000% after 
seeing their salaries decimated by one of the world's highest inflation 
rates. Zimbabwe has seen a series of strikes in recent years as the 
economic crisis in the country has spiralled downwards. Zimbabwe now has 
70% unemployment, a 460% inflation rate, chronic food shortages and fuel 
price risen of more than 600% this year.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 29 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. The "Daily News" again under attack  -  24 October: The 
Zimbabwean authorities have been told to grant an operating licence to a 
newspaper shut down by police last month. A judge ruled the 
government-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC) had been wrong 
to deny a licence to the Daily News. "We are pleased with the decision, but 
our legal battle is not yet over," the paper's publisher, Samuel Nkomo 
said. "We will humbly continue our business of publishing a newspaper as 
soon as possible." The MIC has indicated that it will now appeal to the 
Supreme Court. The Daily News was Zimbabwe's best-selling and only 
privately-owned daily, employing about 300 full-time staff and nearly 1,000 
vendors. It was known for being highly critical of President Robert Mugabe, 
in stark contrast to the state-owned media, which are seen as government 
mouthpieces. The lawyer representing the Daily News says that the judge 
ordered the licence to be issued as soon as possible. If a licence has not 
been issued by the 31 November then a licence will be deemed to have been 
issued, she said. 25 October: The police again shut down The Daily News, 
after staff had published an edition featuring a jubilant banner headline: 
"We are back". 18 journalists are arrested. 26 October: Armed police occupy 
the Harare offices of The Daily News. Also, Washington Sansole, one of the 
directors of the newspaper group, is arrested in Bulawayo. Police say he 
will be held until his colleagues turn themselves in. 27 October: A total 
of five directors of The Daily News have now been arrested. Today, four 
more directors, including chief executive Samuel Nkomo, are arrested and 
charged with publishing without a licence. The newspaper's legal adviser, 
Gugulethu Moyo, says Mr Nkomo, Rachel Kupara, Michel Mattinson and Brian 
Mutsau all presented themselves to the police. -- Washington Sansole is 
released today after lawyers obtain a High Court order for his release. 28 
October: A lawyer representing four directors of Zimbabwe's only 
independent daily newspaper has complained that they are being imprisoned 
in inhumane conditions. Their lawyer, Gugulethu Moyo, says that the four -- 
Samuel Nkomo, Rachel Kupara, Michel Mattinson and Brian Mutsau -- are being 
held in a tiny, unsanitary prison cell and had been denied medicines. Ms 
Moyo, who is the newspaper's legal adviser, says the director of public 
prosecutions has told her they will appear in court on 29 October, charged 
with operating without a licence and of contempt of court. 29 October: The 
four directors still under arrest are released on bail. The court in Harare 
orders them to return on 13 November when it will be decided whether to try 
them on charges of publishing without a licence and contempt of 
court.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 29 October 2003)

* Zimbabwe. La presse harcelée  -  Le dimanche 26 octobre, la police a 
arrêté l'ancien juge Washington Sansolé, un des responsables du seul 
quotidien privé du Zimbabwe, le Daily News, en l'accusant d'avoir repris sa 
publication sans autorisation. Le journal avait été fermé le 12 septembre 
par la police, mais a réapparu dans les kiosques le 25 octobre en édition 
réduite (8 pages au lieu de 48). La police a fait une perquisition dans les 
locaux du journal et a arrêté 18 membres du personnel (rapidement remis en 
liberté). Le Daily News s'est toujours montré critique envers le pouvoir du 
président Robert Mugabe et a été accusé d'infraction aux strictes nouvelles 
lois adoptées sur les médias. -- Lundi, M. Sansolé a été remis en liberté, 
mais quatre autres directeurs du quotidien qui se sont spontanément 
présentés à la police étaient toujours retenus en fin d'après-midi, a 
indiqué la conseillère juridique du journal. Parmi eux, M. Samuel Nkomo, le 
directeur de publication. -- Le mercredi 29 octobre, les quatre directeurs 
arrêtés lundi ont été remis en liberté provisoire, sous caution, par un 
tribunal d'Harare, qui les a cependant de nouveau convoqués le 13 novembre 
pour les entendre et éventuellement les inculper formellement.   (ANB-BIA, 
de sources diverses, 29 octobre 2003)

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