weekly anb05184.txt #6

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 18-05-2000      PART #4/6

* Mozambique. Deminage  -  A la demande de l'Institut national du deminage du Mozambique,
le departement d'Etat americain a conclu un contrat prioritaire avec une entreprise americaine en
vue de la detection et du desamorcage de ces engins de mort. Une grande partie de ceux-ci ont
en effet ete deplaces lors des recentes inondations, puis ensevelis sous une couche de boue. Du
coup, nul ne sait ou ils se trouvent, ce qui accroit considerablement les risques d'accidents. Pour
mener a bien l'operation, le departement d'Etat a augmente de 40% son aide bilaterale au
Mozambique ($3,5 millions pour l'annee en cours). Au total, depuis 1993, les Etats-Unis ont
consacre 35 millions de dollars au deminage, a la prevention et a l'aide aux victimes, mais
egalement a la remise en service du barrage de Massingir dans le sud du pays.   (Jeune Afrique,
France, 16 mai 2000)

* Namibia. Landmark case  -  A self-confessed HIV-positive Namibian man who sued the
country's defence force for refusing to enlist him in the army due to his HIV status, has won the
legal battle. In a landmark judgment on pre-employment testing for the HIV virus in Namibia,
Acting High Court Judge Harold Levy, ruled on 11 May that the Namibian Defence Force (NDF)
should no longer solely use a person's HIV-positive status as a reason to refuse enlistment in the
military. The Acting Judge said the NDF should instead broaden the scope of part of its medical
examination of new recruits beyond only testing for HIV. Namibia, like almost all Southern
African Development Community (SADC) member states, has defence force rules and regulations
which require every prospective army recruit to undergo HIV/AIDS testing before being enlisted
in the military. The Ministry of Defence, under which the NDF falls, argued in its affidavits, that
it wants to recruit healthy people, as soldiers operate in more exacting environments than their
civilian counterparts. In addition, the Defence Ministry said medical aid, pension and life
insurance funds for army recruits would be seriously affected by AIDS-related deaths or
retirements on health grounds. But the Labour Court ordered that the NDF must enlist a HIV-
positive prospective soldier should he re-apply to join the force, provided tests show that the state
of his immune system and the extent of his HIV infection is such that he is not yet considered
to have the AIDS disease.   (Mwana Bwalya, ANB-BIA, Namibia, 12 May 2000)

* Namibia. White-owned farmland to be expropriated  -  17 May: White-owned farmland in
Namibia is to be expropriated by the Government which will pay "just compensation" for
redistribution among landless blacks. The Government has decided to launch the programme
because whites "in the advantaged class during colonial rule" are reluctant to sell it. More than
40% of arable land belongs to about 4,000 farmers who are mostly white. About one million
black people have access to communal land that covers a further 41% of the country.   (The
Times, UK, 17 May 2000)

* Nigeria. Incendie a l'aeroport de Lagos  -  Le 10 mai, un incendie a completement ravage le
Terminal Un de l'aile des vols interieurs de l'aeroport Murtala Muhammed a Lagos, et detruit
pour des millions de dollars de valeurs et d'equipements, a rapporte le quotidien The Guardian.
Selon le journal, les pompiers ont ete alertes quelque 10 minutes apres le debut de l'incendie,
dont les causes n'ont pas encore ete determinees. Le terminal abritait les bureaux de nombreuses
entreprises, dont ceux des lignes interieures. On ne deplore aucune victime.   (IRIN, Abidjan, 11
mai 2000)

* Nigeria. Big minimum wage rise  -  The Senate has passed a minimum wage bill into law,
ushering in big pay rises for Nigerian workers. President Obasanjo sent a draft of the bill to
parliament last week -- this followed his announcement at a workers' rally in Lagos on 1 May.
The bill more than doubles minimum pay for federal workers, from the equivalent of US $35 to
US $75 per month. And the law raises the national minimum wage dramatically from the
monthly equivalent of US $2.5 to US $55. The President urged private sector workers to
negotiate with their employers on introducing the new wage -- he said the new minimum should
be the benchmark.   (BBC News, 11 May 2000)

* Nigeria. Militants close oil plant  -  16 May: The French oil company, Elf Aquitaine, is to hold
talks with officials of Rivers State after militant youths forced the suspension of the company's
operations in the state. Elf officials said youths from the Elele community in southern Rivers
State, shut the Olo flow station on 13 May, demanding employment, contracts and the provision
of infrastructure. The refinery produces 5,000 barrels off oil a day in a joint venture with the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.   (BBC News, 16 May 2000)

* Rwanda. Mgr Misago: verdict le 15 juin  -  Le proces de Mgr Misago s'est acheve le 11 mai
par la plaidoirie du prevenu et de ses avocats. L'eveque de Gikongoro, juge pour complicite de
genocide et non-assistance a personne en danger, a declare que ce qui etait a l'origine de tout,
c'est que les gens l'ont pris comme un surhomme, capable de faire des miracles a la maniere de
Moise. Le president du tribunal a annonce que "vu l'ampleur du travail, le verdict ne tomberait
pas en huit jours, comme le prevoit la loi, mais qu'il faudra attendre le 15 juin 2000".   (La
Croix, France, 15 mai 2000)

* Rwanda/Ouganda. Tensions  -  11 mai. Les chefs des armees rwandaise et ougandaise se sont
reunis toute la journee du 10 mai a Kigali, au lendemain des affrontements dans la ville
congolaise de Kisangani, mais un officier superieur rwandais a indique que les discussions
n'avaient apporte que peu de resultats concrets. Par ailleurs, les deux pays veulent minimiser la
tension qui existerait a leur frontiere. Le Rwanda s'est declare optimiste sur la rencontre prevue
le 14 mai entre les deux presidents, esperant qu'elle permettrait d'empecher une escalade des
tensions. Le president Kagame a declare aux journalistes qu'il n'y avait eu "aucun mouvement
de troupes de notre cote de la frontiere". Le gouvernement ougandais a lui aussi dementi qu'il
aurait deploye des troupes sur sa frontiere avec le Rwanda. "Mais nous maintenons des petites
unites servant d'ecrans pour surveiller la frontiere par mesure de precaution", a dit le ministre
de la Defense. Toutefois, une "mission de paix" de parlementaires ougandais au Rwanda,
repoussee trois fois le mois dernier, a ete definitivement annulee par le Rwanda. D'autre part,
le chef d'etat-major de l'armee ougandaise, le general James Kazini, a pose un ultimatum de 48
heures au Rwanda pour que ses troupes se retirent de Kisangani. -14 mai. A l'issue d'un sommet
organise a Mwanza en Tanzanie, les presidents rwandais et ougandais Kagame et Museveni ont
reaffirme leur intention de demilitariser Kisangani. Selon le president tanzanien, les discussions
ont ete "tres bonnes, franches et constructives; la confiance est retablie". Moins optimiste, un
membre de la delegation rwandaise affirmait: "Je ne crois pas qu'ils ont veritablement trouve un
terrain d'entente; la tension pouvait se lire sur leur visage; cette reunion n'a visiblement pas
change grand chose". Cependant, selon des sources diplomatiques, le sommet visait aussi a
conclure un accord sur les mesures a prendre contre certains officiers rwandais et ougandais tenus
pour principaux responsables de la crise. D'autre part, les chefs d'etat-major des deux forces
armees devaient se rencontrer le 16 mai a Kampala pour preparer les modalites de leur retrait
prevu de Kisangani. Mais des hauts responsables ont precise que les deux pays pourraient
neanmoins maintenir une presence armee sur "des sites strategiques" pour garantir que le
president Kabila ne profite pas de la demilitarisation. - 16 mai. Reunis a Kampala, les chefs
militaires du Rwanda et de l'Ouganda ont convenu de retirer leurs troupes de Kisangani et de les
confiner a 100 km de la ville. Les deux pays maintiendraient sur place 215 hommes chacun,
selon l'accord. Les deux parties n'ont pas donne d'autres precisions.   (ANB-BIA, de sources
diverses, 17 mai 2000)

* Rwanda/Uganda. Repairing the rift  -  14 May: The army commanders of Rwanda and Uganda
are due to meet tomorrow to arrange a withdrawal of their forces from Kisangani. The meeting
was arranged today during talks between the Presidents of both countries. The two leaders said
they were committed to the Lusaka peace process for Congo RDC and will meet regularly to
strengthen confidence in their relations. 15 May: Uganda and Rwanda have begun planning to
withdraw their soldiers from Kisangani. A Ugandan army spokesman said Rwandan commanders
are to visit Kampala to discuss demilitarisation. 17 May: Today's Uganda's New Vision states
that Uganda and Rwanda will begin withdrawing their forces from Kisangani next week. This
was agreed by the chiefs of the two armies at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel on 15 May.   (ANB-
BIA, Brussels, 17 May 2000)

* Rwanda. Journalist pleads guilty  -  A Belgian-born Italian journalist has pleaded guilty to
inciting genocide before the United Nations International Tribunal for Rwanda. It is likely to
make him the first foreigner to be convicted by the court for involvement in the genocide.
Georges Ruggiu faced two counts of directly and publicly inciting genocide while employed at
the infamous Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines, which encouraged Hutus to massacre
their neighbours. "I want to confirm that it was indeed a genocide and that unfortunately I
participated in it. These are events which I regret, but they represent the reality and I have
decided to assume my responsibility", he said.   (Financial Times, UK, 15 May 2000)

* Western Sahara. Fresh drive  -  14 May: James Baker launches a fresh drive to resolve the
more than 20-year-old dispute, as a UN plan to hold a referendum on the future of the territory
faces it most severe crisis. Mr Baker, the UN's special envoy for the Western Sahara, opens
direct talks in London between Morocco, who claims sovereignty over the territory, and the
Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which wants independence. According to Western diplomats,
Mr Baker will explore ways of breaking the deadlock in the referendum plan. Polisario's
delegation chief, Ali Beiba, says the talks with Morocco have ended without success.   (Financial
Times, UK, 15 May 2000)

* Sahara occidental. Rencontre sans succes  -  Le 14 mai, une rencontre a huis clos organisee
a Londres sous l'egide de l'ex-secretaire d'Etat americain James Baker, pour trouver une issue
au conflit du Sahara occidental, s'est achevee sans resultat concret. Selon le chef de la delegation
du Front Polisario, Mahfoud Ali Beiba, les parties se sont bornees a faire etat de leurs positions
respectives.   (La Croix, France, 16 mai 2000)

* Senegal. Habre's lawyers try to halt trial  -  16 May: Lawyers for the former President of
Chad, Hissene Habre, are to try to persuade a Senegalese court that it has no jurisdiction to try
Mr Habre on torture and murder charges. The former president's case isa due to re-open today
in Dakar where he was arrested while living in exile. The court will hear a motion by Mr Habre's
lawyers to cancel the charges levelled against him by Chadians and human rights organisations,
involving allegations that he was responsible for ordering torture and killings while in office.  
(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 May 2000)

Weekly anb0518.txt - End of part 4/6