Weekly ANB1218_03.txt #5

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 18-12-2003      PART #3/5

* Egypt/Kenya. Water row  -  12 December: The Egyptian Government expresses 
its disappointment after Kenya announces its intention to withdraw from the 
1929 Nile Basin Treaty. The treaty restricts Kenya from using water from 
Lake Victoria, which is a source of the River Nile. Eight main rivers in 
Kenya pour into Lake Victoria and the Kenyan government wants to ensure its 
gets its fair share of water. The Nile Badin Treaty is signed by Burundi, 
Congo RDC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, 
Uganda.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 December 2003)

* Ethiopie. Heurts mortels à Gambella  -  Des informations encore 
imprécises font état d'affrontements mortels entre deux communautés 
ethniques dans la zone de Gambella, près de la frontière avec le Soudan (à 
450 km à l'ouest d'Addis-Abeba). Le HCR indique un bilan d'une trentaine de 
morts, alors que des sources humanitaires citées par AP parlent d'une 
centaine de tués. Des affrontements avaient déjà eu lieu dans cette zone 
dans le passé, mais jamais d'une telle intensité. Selon le site 
allafrica.com, les combats auraient commencé entre les ethnies Anuak et 
Nuer, suite à une embuscade qui a fait sept morts. Le rôle de l'armée est 
encore obscur. Envoyée sur place, elle aurait exercé une sorte de punition 
contre les Anuak. On ignore encore si ces violences sont liées aux accords 
d'exploitation d'éventuels gisements de pétrole. La convoitise territoriale 
pourrait s'être envenimée à cause de l'arrivée de grandes sociétés 
pétrolières venues explorer dans la région.   (D'après Misna, Italie, 16 
décembre 2003)

* Ethiopia. Violent land clashes  -  16 December: Some 30 people are 
reported to have been killed in weekend violence near Ethiopia's border 
with Sudan, though aid workers put the toll much higher. An Ethiopian 
Defence Ministry spokeswoman said troops had gone to Gambella region to 
restore calm. Fighting is said to have been sparked by a land dispute 
between ethnic communities living in the area. Schools, shops and offices 
are closed and hospitals are overstretched as scores of wounded are brought 
in. Domestic flights between the capital, Addis Ababa and Gambella have 
also been cancelled. An eyewitness said Ethiopian highlanders, supported by 
the military, have attacked local people. But army spokeswoman Major Harnet 
Yohannes said the soldiers were there only to keep the peace.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 16 December 2003)

* Ethiopia. Mengistu on trial  -  Nine years into the trial of former 
Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam and his regime, defence lawyers 
finally opened their defence on 16 December, against the 209 charges of 
crimes against humanity during what was called the Red Terror in the late 
1970s. The trial of Mengistu and 69 of his aides has become a lesson in the 
challenges of resurrecting a local justice system to prosecute crimes 
committed by a former dictator and his government, and how local courts 
can't always cope. While no one knows for sure how many people Mengistu's 
Marxist regime, which ruled between 1974 and 1991, killed during the purge 
of suspected opponents, experts estimate the number to be 150,000. Human 
Rights Watch called the Red Terror "one of the most systematic uses of mass 
murder by a state ever witnessed". Rebels, led by Meles Zenawi, the Prime 
Minister, seized power in 1991, and Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe. The 
government then began planning trials, which started in December 1994 and 
were hailed as "Africa's Nuremberg". Mengistu is being tried in absentia. 
But the courts are inefficient -- 1,017 people have been convicted, 6,426 
are awaiting trial and more than 3,000, like Mr Mengistu, live in exile. 
The Information Minister, Bereket Simon, said: "Given our inefficiency in 
the judicial system...we need to overhaul it." The trial is expected to 
last several more years.   (The Independent, UK, 17 December 2003)

* Ethiopia. Malaria outbreak  -  17 December: Aid agencies and government 
officials are battling with a ravaging malaria outbreak in Ethiopia. The 
number of deaths following the outbreak has risen by three times, according 
to aid agency officials. Efforts to contain the disease are being 
frustrated by the use of ineffective drugs, aid agency Médécins Sans 
Frontières (MSF) has said. The Ethiopian health ministry has allegedly 
rejected the use of a cocktail of drugs recommended by MSF. MSF spokeswoman 
in Ethiopia, Annick Hamel, said that 5,000 people are contracting malaria 
every week in the regions they operate from. She said about 15 million more 
are threatened by the outbreak -- the worst ever seen in Ethiopia. Ms Hamel 
said the combination of drugs they recommend to use to contain the outbreak 
has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). But Ethiopian 
health officials are reportedly evaluating the drugs before they approve 
their use. MSF says the drugs are being used in South Africa, Zambia and 
Zanzibar, countries considered by the WHO to be malaria zones.   (BBC News, 
UK, 17 December 2003)

* Guinée. Présidentielle le 21 décembre  -  La Guinée va vivre dimanche 
prochain une présidentielle sous tension mais sans suspense, commente 
l'agence AFP le 16 décembre. Un référendum en 2001 a permis au général 
Conté d'envisager un nouveau mandat, instaurant ce que l'opposition a 
qualifié de "présidence à vie". Entre un président au pouvoir depuis près 
de 20 ans et notoirement malade, une armée secouée depuis fin novembre par 
des arrestations inexpliquées, un dialogue dans l'impasse et une situation 
économique désastreuse, l'éléction relève du non-événement. Les principales 
figures de l'opposition n'ont pas jugé utile de se présenter, estimant que 
l'affaire est encore une fois entendue d'avance. Le président Conté aura 
face à lui un seul adversaire, Mamadou Bhoye Barry, leader et unique député 
d'un petit parti difficilement classable, remarque encore AFP. -- Le 16 
décembre, les militaires guinéens interpellés entre le 26 et le 28 novembre 
dans différentes garnisons du pays, ont été libérés. Selon les 
observateurs, ces libérations interviennent dans un souci d'apaisement à la 
veille du scrutin présidentiel.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 17 
décembre 2003)

* Kenya. Controversy over new coin  -  11 December: A new coin bearing the 
image of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has sparked controversy after he 
promised to end personality cults. The new 40 shilling coin went into 
circulation, today, to mark 40 years of independence. Earlier this year, 
notes bearing the portrait of founding President Jomo Kenyatta were 
introduced. The notes were introduced after a pledge by the ruling Narc 
coalition, to end the "personality cult" in Kenya. Other new currencies 
unveiled include a re-designed 200 shilling note, a 5,000 shilling gold 
coin and a 1,000 shilling silver coin. These coins also feature Mr Kibaki's 
image. Central bank governor Andrew Mullei said only the 40 shilling coin 
and 200 shilling note, that has the portrait of founding President Jomo 
Kenyatta, will be in circulation. The others will be collectors' 
items.   (BBC News, UK, 11 December 2003)

Kenya. Scandal newspapers fight ban  -  11 December: Editors of press 
publications in Kenya known as scandal sheets have vowed to continue 
printing their newspapers, despite a government crackdown. They are seeking 
a court injunction to stop the government from removing their publications 
from the market. Attorney General Amos Wako ordered a crackdown this week. 
Last month some printed the HIV status of some MPs. The Kenya Union of 
Journalists backs the ban and says they are guilty of reckless reporting. 
The publications often contain lurid reports of Kenya's rich and have been 
accused of thriving on character assassination. The Publisher of The 
Patriot, one of the targeted newspapers, Boy Matumbai, said the crackdown 
was designed to intimidate and harass them. "We should not be condemned 
wholesale, we have different editorial policies and if they think we 
miss-report they should sue for libel," Mr Matumbai said.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 11 December 2003)

* Kenya. Moi summoned before murder probe  -  16 December: Former President 
Daniel arap Moi is to be summoned on 5 January to answer questions about 
the murder of former foreign minister Robert Ouko. Parliamentary select 
committee chairman Gor Sunguh says they will also summon ex-minister 
Nicholas Biwott. Police never solved the murder 13 years ago, though Mr Moi 
and Mr Biwott have always denied any involvement. Mr Ouko's body was found 
three days after he went missing having been shot, doused with petrol and 
set alight. He disappeared from his farm in western Kenya shortly after 
returning from a trip to the US. Mr Moi's government set up and then 
disbanded investigations by both Scotland Yard and by the Gicheru 
Commission. Mr Sungah told a news conference that in order for their 
committee to do their task properly, they needed to cover areas not covered 
in previous investigations.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 December 2003)

* Kenya. Hunting for missing billions  -  16 December: The authorities in 
Kenya are seeking to retrieve at least $1bn siphoned out of the country by 
former officials. A six-month inquiry by investigative group Kroll has 
tracked the stolen money to accounts in big-name banks, and shares in 
London hotels. The money may already have passed on to less co-operative 
places such as Zimbabwe, Kenyan ministers believe. But experts say 
recovering the loot - possibly as much as $4bn -- could be much more 
difficult than tracing it. The money in question is thought to have been 
embezzled during the previous administration of former President Daniel 
arap Moi, who ruled for 24 years before stepping down following election 
defeat in December last year. "Identifying the assets is just the first 
step," Gladwell Odieno, Executive Director of anti-graft group Transparency 
International, said.   (BBC News, UK, 16 December 2003)

* Liberia. Pause in disarmament  -  15 December: The United Nations has 
ordered a pause in the Liberian disarmament process after more fighters 
wanted to hand in their weapons than was anticipated. More than 9,000 
former fighters turned up at the Schieffelin military barracks, 25km east 
of the capital. The camp, which was designed to hold 1,000, has been 
overwhelmed and the UN says it will stop taking in the former combatants 
until 20 January. A UN spokeswoman said they could then return to finish 
off demobilising. The UN mission in neighbouring Sierra Leone, which 
successfully oversaw a disarmament process of its own, warned on Monday, 
that they were receiving reports that Liberian rebels are smuggling weapons 
over the border. They have reinforced their presence along the 
border.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 December 2003)

* Liberia. La MINUL débordée  -  La Mission des Nations unies au Liberia 
(MINUL) est dépassée par le nombre de volontaires au désarmement. Elle va 
donc ralentir le processus de désarmement, démobilisation, réhabilitation 
et réintégration (DDRR), qui ne peut répondre aux besoins sur place, quatre 
fois supérieurs aux évaluations. L'enregistrement des anciens combattants 
sera suspendu pendant un mois, à partir du 17 décembre, le temps 
d'améliorer les conditions de vie dans les camps. Le processus de 
désarmement avait débuté le 7 décembre. Mais de violentes émeutes menées 
par d'anciens soldats de l'ex-président Taylor avaient rapidement éclaté 
pour demander une amélioration des conditions de 
démobilisation.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 16 décembre 2003)

* Madagascar. Ratsiraka condamné  -  Un tribunal de Madagascar a condamné 
l'ancien président Didier Ratsiraka à cinq ans de prison pour avoir incité 
cinq provinces du pays à la sécession lors de la crise politique qui a 
secoué l'île en 2002, ont rapporté des avocats le 16 décembre. Ratsiraka, 
qui vit en exil en France, n'était pas présent lors de l'audience. Il avait 
déjà été condamné en août à dix ans de travaux forcés pour détournement de 
8 millions de dollars. On ignore si les autorités malgaches entendent 
réclamer son extradition. Didier Ratsiraka a quitté Madagascar en juillet 
2002, après six mois de crise déclenchée par le résultat serré de 
l'élection présidentielle qui a porté finalement son rival au 
pouvoir.   (Reuters, 16 décembre 2003)

* Madagascar. Former president sentenced to five years in prison  -  The 
authorities in Madagascar remained tight-lipped on 17 December over whether 
the government would seek to extradite Didier Ratsiraka from France after a 
court had sentenced the former president to five years in prison for his 
role in last year's political crisis. Ratsiraka, who fled the country at 
the height of the political upheaval, did not appear in court at the 
hearing on 15 December. "At the moment we are not in a position to state if 
we are going to request Ratsiraka's extradition or not, but some people 
would like to see him return, only so that he can answer all of the charges 
levelled at him. This sentence shows people that the government is 
committed to justice, and that justice applies to everyone, irrespective of 
their position," presidential spokesman, Raymond Ramandimbilahatra, told 
IRIN. He confirmed that in August President Marc Ravalomanana turned down a 
request from the former ruler to return to the country. The five-year 
sentence was handed down as a result of Ratsiraka's attempt to get five of 
the country's six provinces to secede during the 2002 political troubles. 
Two of Ratsiraka's former provincial governors were also sentenced to five 
years in prison at Monday's hearing, while three other governors will have 
to serve three years each for their support of the attempted 
secession.   (IRIN, Kenya, 17 December 2003)

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