Weekly ANB1113_04.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 13-11-2003      PART #4/6

* Maroc. Le Polisario libère 300 prisonniers  -  Le 7 novembre, le Front 
Polisario, l'organisation qui revendique l'indépendance du Sahara 
occidental annexé par le Maroc, devait commencer à libérer 300 prisonniers 
de guerre marocains pour "des raisons humanitaires". La libération a été 
décidée à l'occasion du ramadan et fait suite à une médiation libyenne. 
Elle se déroule par le truchement du Comité international de la 
Croix-Rouge, qui doit rapatrier les prisonniers au Maroc par avion. Le 
Polisario, qui avait déjà libéré plus de 1.300 prisonniers marocains depuis 
le début du conflit, détiendra encore quelque 600 prisonniers marocains 
après cette libération. Il accuse parallèlement le Maroc de retenir 150 
prisonniers de guerre Sahraouis.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 8 
novembre 2003)

* Mauritanie. Elections présidentielles mouvementées  -  6 novembre. Coup 
de théâtre de dernière minute, à la veille du scrutin présidentiel: le 
colonel Khouna Ould Haidallah, principal opposant au président sortant, 
ainsi qu'une demi-douzaine de personnes de son entourage ont été 
interpellés et déférés en début de soirée devant le parquet du tribunal de 
Nouakchott. Deux de ses fils avaient déjà été arrêtés auparavant. Les 
autorités ont dit avoir découvert chez le candidat un "plan de coup 
d'Etat". Ancien président de la Mauritanie, Ould Haidallah avait été 
renversé en décembre 1984 par l'actuel président Maaouya Ould Taya, qui 
dirige le pays d'une main de fer depuis 19 ans. Début juin, une tentative 
de coup d'Etat a fait trembler le pouvoir. La crainte d'un nouveau 
soulèvement est d'autant plus vive que Khouna Ould Haidallah semble avoir 
retrouvé le soutien d'une partie de l'armée. -- Vendredi 7 novembre. Jour 
du scrutin. La Mauritanie compte 2,8 millions d'habitants, dont plus de 40% 
de Maures (Arabes de Mauritanie), autant de Haratins (anciens esclaves 
noirs arabisés et islamisés), et 18% de Négro-Africains (Peuls, Soninkés, 
Wolofs). Sont candidats: le président sortant Maaouya Ould Taya, Khouna 
Ould Haidallah, Ahmed Ould Daddah (demi-frère du "père de la nation"), et 
Messaoud Ould Boulkhier (chef charismatique des Haratins), ainsi que deux 
autres de moindre importance: Moulaye Ould Jied et une femme, Aïcha Mint 
Jeddane. -- 8 novembre. Le président Maaouya Ould Taya est déclaré élu avec 
66,7% des voix, dès le premier tour du scrutin. L'annonce de ces résultats 
a provoqué la colère de l'opposition qui a accusé le pouvoir de fraude 
généralisée. Ould Haidallah a obtenu un peu moins de 19%. Celui-ci a 
d'ailleurs de nouveau été arrêté à l'aube en compagnie de son directeur de 
campagne. Ils sont accusés d'avoir voulu renverser le pouvoir selon un plan 
qui prévoyait, en cas de victoire d'Ould Taya, la mobilisation des foules 
et une marche sur le palais de la République, soutenue par les militaires 
qui auraient alors "fraternisé" avec les manifestants. -- 10 novembre. Des 
avocats ont entrepris des démarches pour former un collectif chargé de la 
défense d'Ould Haidallah et de ses proches. Le collectif devrait comprendre 
une cinquantaine d'avocats et quelques ténors de barreaux étrangers. -- 12 
novembre. Le Conseil constitutionnel a confirmé la victoire au premier tour 
du président Ould Taya. Par ailleurs, Me Sghaer Ould M'Bareck, nommé 
Premier ministre le 6 juillet dernier, a été reconduit à son poste par le 
président.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 12 novembre 2003)

* Mauritania. Mauritania goes to the polls  -  7 November: Voters in the 
African desert state of Mauritania cast their ballots in a presidential 
election, today, clouded by arrests on the eve of polls. Opposition 
candidate and former dictator Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah was held for 
several hours by police on suspicion of plotting a coup. Emerging from 
custody, he called for a heavy turnout and a clean vote. Mauritania's 
pro-Western President, Maaouiya Ould Taya, is standing again after nearly 
20 years in office. Police are believed to be still holding two sons of Mr 
Ould Haidallah and a number of his close associates. State Prosecutor 
Mohamed Elgheiz Ould Oumar accused the group of planning to "change the 
government by violence and insurrection" and warned that Mr Haidallah could 
be re-arrested "at any time". The accusation has been denied by the 
candidate's team. The opposition candidate, who is campaigning on an 
Islamist platform, told hundreds of cheering supporters at his home in the 
capital, Nouakchott, that his arrest had been "just part of the ongoing 
intimidation". 8 November: Mauritania's long-standing leader Maaouiya Ould 
Taya stands to win presidential elections in the first round, according to 
official sources. President Taya was ahead of the five other candidates 
with around 65% of the vote, according to the political affairs director. 
Mohamad Khouna Ould Haidalla, the country's former leader, had won 20% 
support while Ahmed Ould Daddah and Messaoud Ould Boulkheir were each 
standing at 6%. Opposition candidates say the election has been marred by 
fraud and intimidation of their candidates. 9 November: Mauritania's main 
opposition leader has been arrested -- hours after the president won a 
third term in office. Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla was taken by police from 
his headquarters, says an aide. Veteran leader Maaouiya Ould Taya beat off 
five other candidates to win 67% of the presidential vote. Opposition 
candidates have called for a re-run of the vote, alleging massive fraud -- 
a charge the government denies. Witnesses say police surrounded his 
campaign headquarters during the night, and waited until dawn to take him 
away. Ould Haidalla was charged with planning to seize power by force. 12 
November: The Constitutional Court confirms Ould Taya's re-election with 
67.02% of the votes.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 November 2003)

* Morocco. An agency to tackle illegal migration  -  Morocco has declared 
the fight against illegal migration a priority and announced that a new 
government department and investigative force would be dedicated to 
combating people-trafficking. The move to tighten control of the country's 
extensive Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines will be directed by the 
Interior Ministry, the official MAP news agency said. Illegal immigration 
is a point of friction between Morocco and Spain, which thousands of 
migrants try to reach by sea each year from Moroccan beaches, often on 
unsafe vessels.   (New York Times, USA, 12 November 2003)

* Namibia. Agreement reached with white farmers  -  7 November: A group of 
black farmers in Namibia has reached an agreement with a white farmers' 
group and has called off its plans to invade 15 farms next week. The black 
farmers came under intense pressure from the government. The farmers wanted 
the government to speed up its policy of resettling blacks on white-owned 
land.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 November 2003)

* Niger. Directeur de journal condamné  -  M. Mamane Abou, directeur de 
l'hebdomadaire privé "Le Républicain", a été condamné par défaut, le 7 
novembre, à six mois de prison ferme, 300.000 FCFA d'amende et 10 millions 
de FCFA de dommages et intérêts pour "diffamation". M. Abou est détenu à la 
prison civile de Niamey depuis le 5 novembre. Il lui est reproché d'avoir 
publié des documents confidentiels du Trésor public faisant état de 
malversations de la part du ministre des Finances. "Cette condamnation est 
un non sens", a déclaré Reporters sans frontières. "Ce journaliste n'a fait 
que son métier et rien ne justifie une peine aussi lourde. De plus, la 
justice n'a pas respecté la procédure. Mamane Abou a été condamné par 
défaut alors qu'il est détenu à Niamey. Les avocats du journaliste n'ont 
même pas été informés du jugement de leur client". Un des avocats du 
journaliste a dit que la défense allait immédiatement faire opposition à 
cette décision.   (RSF, France, 10 novembre 2003)

* Nigeria. Pirates dans le delta  -  Six policiers nigérians ont été 
abattus par des "pirates de rivière" portant des tenues militaires, dans le 
delta du Niger; cinq autres ont été blessés. Les policiers ont été attaqués 
alors qu'ils patrouillaient sur les eaux de l'Etat fédéré de Bayelsa, au 
coeur de la région pétrolière. Les patrouilles ont récemment été renforcées 
dans le vaste réseau de rivières et de criques du delta, où les actes de 
piraterie vont croissant. La région est également la cible de pillards de 
pétrole, qui revendent l'or noir pour acheter des armes.   (La Libre 
Belgique, 7 novembre 2003)

* Nigeria. Corruption issues  -  6 November: President Olusegun Obasanjo 
has recalled a finance bill because fake versions of it might be being 
circulated in the National Assembly. Mr Obasanjo said it was virtually 
impossible to tell the difference between the real bill and forgeries. The 
bill is a critical one, as it sets out how Nigeria's revenue is shared out 
between federal and local governments. He said it would be checked and 
every page would be signed by him before he sent it back to MPs and 
senators. Opposition MPs have accused the president of recalling the bill 
in order to cut federal funds, but a debate on the issue has been ruled 
out. 7 November: President Olusegun Obasanjo urges oil firms to open up 
their accounts to scrutiny as part of a new anti-corruption drive. 
"Whatever you receive, you must publish...I would appeal to extractive 
industries to participate," he says. Nigeria, a major oil producer, has 
been ranked the second most corrupt country in the world after Bangladesh. 
Mr Obasanjo was speaking at a Berlin meeting of the global corruption 
watchdog Transparency International.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 November 2003)

* Nigeria. New oil chief pledges tranparency  -  The new head of Nigeria's 
state oil company has promised an aggressive policy of market deregulation, 
increased production and improved transparency, as part of attempts to 
attract greater foreign and domestic investment and to allay concerns about 
corruption. Funsho Kupolokun, managing director of the Nigerian National 
Petroleum Corporation, said Nigeria remains a committed member of the Opec 
cartel of oil-producing countries but will seek an increase in its 
production quota. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer and the world's 
seventh-largest oil exporter. But the government's attempts to deregulate 
the petroleum sector have generated political controversy that has deterred 
investor interest in the country's decrepit refineries. "Initially there 
was a bit of [investor] trepidation," Mr Kupolokun said in an interview 
with the Financial Times. "Now that everyone knows there is complete 
liberalisation, there is a lot of interest coming up." Mr Kupolokun, who 
was appointed last week, said the government would try to sell a 51 per 
cent stake in the first of the country's four refineries by the end of the 
first quarter of next year, adding that the other sales would take place by 
the end of June. He said the government's gradual -- but controversial 
--removal of the subsidy on the retail price of petrol was a "done deal". 
The subsidy, which is thought to cost the government about $1bn a year, is 
popular with consumers but is disliked by domestic and international oil 
marketing companies.   (Financial Times, UK, 10 November 2003)

* Rwanda. Arusha: procès d'ex-ministres  -  Le 6 novembre, le procès de 
quatre ex-ministres du gouvernement rwandais au pouvoir pendant le génocide 
de 1994, s'est ouvert devant le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda 
(TPIR) à Arusha, en Tanzanie. Chacun des accusés répond de six chefs 
d'accusation de génocide et de crime contre l'humanité. Les quatre accusés 
sont l'ex-ministre de la Santé Casimir Bizimungu, des Affaires étangères 
Jérôme Bicamumpaka, du Commerce Justin Mugenzi, et de la Fonction publique 
Prosper Mugiraneza. Ils plaident non coupables. Ils sont accusés de s'être 
entendus avec d'autres extrémistes, "de la fin de 1990 jusqu'à juillet 
1994","pour élaborer un plan dans l'intention d'exterminer la population 
civile tutsi, d'éliminer des membres de l'opposition et de se maintenir 
ainsi au pouvoir. Dans l'exécution de ce plan, ils ont organisé, ordonné et 
participé aux massacres perpétrés à l'encontre de la population tutsi et 
des Hutu modérés".   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 7 novembre 2003)

* Rwanda. Key genocide trial begins  -  6 November: Four former Rwandan 
ministers have gone on trial, charged with masterminding the killing of 
some 800,000 people in the 1994 genocide. They are the former ministers for 
foreign affairs, health, trade and the civil service. The four men are 
accused of being in charge of militia that systematically slaughtered 
ethnic Tutsis. The UN tribunal, in the Tanzanian city of Arusha, is keen to 
respond to charges of inefficiency. Prosecutor Paul Ng'Arua told the court 
the ministers blazed a path to hell for the majority Tutsi population. "He 
said he would show that wherever these ministers went, acts of genocide and 
the displacement of Tutsi populations followed them," a spokesman said. 
Former Health Minister Casimir Bizimungu, a 52-year-old former doctor, is 
accused of travelling overseas to buy weapons for the militias with 
government funds and was arrested in Kenya in February 1999. After spending 
over half a billion dollars and with more than 800 staff, the tribunal has 
achieved only 12 convictions in nine years. A new chief prosecutor, Hassan 
Jallow, 52, from The Gambia, was appointed earlier this year, to take sole 
charge in Arusha from Carla del Ponte. 10 November: The new chief 
prosecutor at the international tribunal for the Rwandan genocide is in the 
capital, Kigali, for crucial talks with the government. The Rwandan 
Government says it is unhappy with the slow pace of the 
tribunal.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 November 2003)

* Sénégal. Manifestation à Dakar  -  Le 6 novembre, des milliers de 
Sénégalais ont manifesté au centre de Dakar "contre la violence politique 
et l'impunité" au Sénégal. Cette manifestation, qui a rassemblé 2.500 
personnes selon la police, 10.000 selon les organisateurs, était organisée 
à la suite de l'agression à coups de marteau de Talla Sylla, chef du petit 
parti Jef-Jel, très critique envers le président Abdoulaye Wade, il y a un 
mois à Dakar. Jusqu'à présent, la police n'a procédé à aucune 
arrestation.   (Libération, France, 7 novembre 2003)

* Sierra Leone. Former enemies ride together  -  6 November: The way most 
people get around in Bo, Sierra Leone's second city, is on the back of 
motorbike taxis. What is remarkable is that the taxi riders are former 
rebels and pro-government militia fighters who fought so bitterly against 
each other during Sierra Leone's 10-year civil war. Both the rebels and the 
Kamajor militia were accused of brutal atrocities but once the war ended, 
new skills were needed and in Bo they acted fast. At a stroke the creation 
of the Bo Bike Riders Association three years ago solved two problems. It 
brought cheap transport to the people of Bo and it took potential criminals 
and troublemakers off the streets -- or rather it kept them on the streets 
but doing something useful. Some 1,000 motorbike taxi riders are now 
operating in the city.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 6 November 2003)

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