Weekly anb12135.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 13-12-2001      PART #5/7

* Liberia. Rebels are heading for the border  -  10 December: Rebels 
fighting Liberian troops in northern and north-western Liberia are heading 
for the Sierra Leonean border in an apparent move to attack that country, 
the Liberian Government has said. "Well-armed units of the Lurd dissident 
group were spotted heading for the Sierra Leonean border," a Ministry of 
Information release said on 9 December. The dissidents have been heading to 
the town of Kungbor, situated on the border with Sierra Leone and some 165 
kilometres north-west of Monrovia, said the government. President Charles 
Taylor reacted by calling in the Sierra Leonean ambassador here, Kemoh 
Salia-Bao, for consultation. "The intent of the rebels is to launch a bogus 
attack on Sierra Leone from Liberia so that it will appear like Liberia has 
attacked Sierra Leone. This is worrisome because Liberia enjoys relations 
with Sierra Leone," said Defence Minister, Daniel Chea. 11 December: More 
than 15,000 people displaced by fresh fighting between Liberian troops and 
rebels in the northwest of the country in the last week have arrived in 
Sawmill Town. Sawmill, situated some 100 kilometres northwest of the 
capital Monrovia, has begun swelling with displaced people who 
intermittently arrive in large groups. The vast majority of them fled camps 
in towns such as Bopolu, the provincial capital of northwestern Gbarpolu 
county which has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent 
days. The displaced people complained that they were being prevented from 
moving further on to much more safer areas like the main provincial town, 
Tubmanburg, some 60km outside of Monrovia. Zubazi Aquoi, a spokesman for 
the displaced, said Bopolu itself has not been attacked, "but echoes of 
artillery bombardments were so heavy from embattled places, that the 3,600 
people at the camp all came with me". The fleeing people arrived in the 
town carrying bundles of personal effects mainly cooking utensils and foam 
mattresses on their heads. Liberia's Defence Minister Daniel Chea, visiting 
the region on 10 December, said the displaced people were safe where they 
are "and we will do everything to see them go home very soon".   (ANB-BIA, 
Brussels, 12 December 2001)

* Libya. Vast railway project  -  Libya looks set to become the final link 
in a vast railway network connecting the whole of North Africa. Speaking in 
the capital Tripoli, an unnamed Libyan official has told the local press 
that the country is proposing to build two tracks, running east to west and 
north to south. The first line will run along the Mediterranean coast, 
linking Libya's western border with Tunisia with its eastern border with 
Egypt. The second will run southwards through the Sahara desert, linking 
Libya with Chad and Niger. It is an ambitious scheme, but Libya has already 
proved its ability to take on such vast projects. At the cost of billions 
of dollars, its so-called Great Manmade River project has piped underground 
water from deep beneath the Sahara up to the coastal plain. The official 
did not reveal the cost or time frame of the railway project.   (BBC News, 
UK, 9 December 2001)

* Madagascar. Election plan behind schedule  -  Reports from Madagascar 
indicate that preparations for presidential elections on 15 December are 
seriously behind schedule. Many voting stations have only just received 
copies of the electoral lists, even though 11 December was officially the 
last day for voters to confirm their names on these. The head of the 
independent electoral body had indicated that the number of registered 
voters in Madagascar has fallen by two million in the past five years. he 
says he doesn't understand how this had happened. The incumbent president, 
Didier Ratsiraka, has promised free and fair elections.   (ANB-BIA, 
Brussels, 13 December 2001)

* Malawi. Police shoot protesters  -  Police in Malawi have opened fire on 
Rastafarians and student demonstrators in the university town of Zomba, 
east of the commercial city of Blantyre, seriously injuring at least two 
people and arresting three others. Witnesses say a riot erupted when 
officers tried to break up a protest against the death in police custody of 
the outspoken reggae musician Evison Matafale. The shooting began after 
police fired tear gas into university buildings, causing chaos. Protests 
also took place in Blantyre and in the south of the country over the 
musician's death. Matafale died three days after he was arrested for 
allegedly writing a seditious letter to President Bakili 
Muluzi.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 December 2001)

* Mali. Bamako lit up by dam start  -  The enormous Manantali dam in 
southwestern Mali has finally produced its very first megawatt of 
hydro-electricity, 13 years after it was completed. So far, only one of the 
five turbines has been installed, and when that is turning, it lights up 
the capital, Bamako, some 300 kilometres to the east. But there is still a 
good way to go if long-awaited promises of serving Senegal, Mali and 
Mauritania are to be fulfilled. Babacar Gueye, director of Sogem, a 
consortium created by the three countries that share the Senegal River, 
says that perhaps by the end of 2002, the dam would be providing 60% of the 
energy needs of urban consumers in the capitals. He says 52% of production 
would go to Mali, 15% to Mauritania and 33% to Senegal. Mr Gueye points out 
that Sogem will be selling the inexpensive electricity from Manantali to 
utilities in the three countries, which in turn would set the prices at 
which they sell to consumers. According to Mountaga Diallo, technical 
director of Sogem, there is a long-term plan to link Mali up to a West 
African grid that would permit even Togo, Benin and Ghana to receive energy 
from or send hydro power to Mali. He also speaks of a proposed scheme to 
twin the power installations with fibre optic lines to improve 
telecommunications. "It's a big, big, big project," says Diallo. "It will 
be a revolution electrically and for telecommunications too." Those who 
manage the dam, view it as one of the most important economic developments 
in West Africa.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 December 2001)

* Maroc. Liberté de presse en panne  -  Seul pays du Maghreb à avoir pris 
le chemin d'une libéralisation, le Maroc n'entend pas pour autant ouvrir le 
débat sur les "années de plomb". Le 8 décembre, la	 police a saisi 
l'hebdomadaire Demain Magazine, qui avait publié la liste de 45 personnes 
présumées responsables d'atteintes graves aux droits de l'homme. Diffusée 
la veille par l'Association marocaine des droits humains (AMDH, 
indépendante), cette liste comprend les noms de responsables de l'armée et 
de la police toujours en fonction. Ali Lambaret, directeur de Demain, avait 
déjà été condamné le 21 novembre à quatre mois de prison et une forte 
amende pour "diffusion de fausses informations". L'AMDH a dénoncé dans une 
lettre au Premier ministre M. Youssoufi "les atteintes à la liberté de 
presse et de réunion" et réclamé une "enquête indépendante" sur la 
disparition d'opposants dans les années 1960-1970.   (Libération, France, 
10 décembre 2001)

* Morocco. Human rights ombudsman  -  King Mohammad of Morocco has 
announced the creation of a human rights ombudsman. The announcement was 
delivered in a message read by his brother, Prince Moulay Rachid, to mark 
international human rights day. The prince said the new post was part of 
efforts to offer support to other bodies working to redress injustice and 
protect liberties. On 8 December, the Moroccan Human Rights Association 
published the names of more than 40 senior officials and officers whom it 
accused of responsibility for the disappearance of political activists 
during the 1960's and 1970's. It said it had proof of the involvement of 
those on the list in crimes of kidnapping, murder, arbitrary arrest and 
torture. The group called on the justice ministry to take action against 
those named.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 December 2001)

* Maroc. Un médiateur contre les abus  -  Les abus de l'administration sont 
l'une des plaies du régime marocain. Soucieux de montrer sa volonté de 
changement en la matière et de répondre aux critiques sur les lenteurs du 
processus de démocratisation, le roi Mohammed VI a profité de la journée 
mondiale des droits de l'homme pour annoncer, le 9 décembre, la création 
d'un poste de "médiateur", rattaché au cabinet royal; celui-ci constituera 
un "recours" pour les citoyens qui s'estiment lésés par l'administration. 
Son bureau devrait compter des délégués régionaux. Approuvant l'initiative, 
Driss Benzekri, le président du Forum vérité et justice, a toutefois 
souligné la nécessité de nommer à ce poste une "personnalité forte" 
susceptible de résister à des pressions.   (Libération, France, 11 décembre 
2001)

* Morocco. Eye disease eradication progress  -  Trachoma, one of the 
leading causes of blindness in the world, has now been virtually eliminated 
from Morocco, says the group leading the project. This represents one of 
the first major advances in the fight against the disease in Africa. The 
anti-trachoma programme is now going to be expanded to target the disease 
in nine countries at a cost of $200m. Trachoma is caused by the bacteria 
Chlamydia trachtomatis, which is commonly carried by flies. If it gets 
rubbed into the eyes, it can cause damage. Repeated infections can cause 
the eyelid to turn inwards. This in turn can cause damage to the cornea -- 
and eventually blindness. The strategy to fight it is a simple one, 
including surgery to help those already badly affected by infections. In 
addition, antibiotics are used to tackle active trachoma infections. To 
stop the infections starting in the first place, children and adults are 
encouraged to wash their faces regularly in clean water.   (BBC News, UK, 
12 December 2001)

* Maroc. Boukhari condamné  -  Le 12 décembre, l'ancien agent secret 
marocain Ahmed Boukhari, auteur de révélations sur l'affaire Ben Barka, a 
été condamné à 3 mois de prison ferme et une amende de 100.000 dirhams 
(10.000 euros) pour diffamation. Le verdict a été prononcé en l'absence de 
M. Boukhari et de son avocat qui ont refusé d'assister à ce qu'ils 
appellent un "procès mascarade". M. Boukhari est convoqué en France le 20 
décembre pour être entendu dans le cadre de l'enquête sur l'assassinat de 
Ben Barka en 1965. Il avait déjà été empêché de se rendre à deux 
précédentes convocations à Paris le 19 juillet et le 7 
septembre.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 13 décembre 2001)

* Mozambique. No third term for Chissano  -  President Joaquim Chissano has 
announced that he will not run for a third term as head of state in 
elections due in 2004. There had been speculation that he may be tempted to 
follow some of his southern African counterparts -- Namibia's Sam Nujoma, 
Zambia's Frederick Chiluba and Malawi's Bakili Muluzi --and attempt to stay 
in power. The ruling Frelimo party last night accepted his decision, 
according to a statement issued by the Central Committee. The statement 
called Mr Chissano's decision a gesture of great dignity and political 
wisdom, the gesture of a statesman with a vision of the future for his 
people and for the country. President Chissano said he had never planned to 
stay in power for long. "People have the right to retire at the age of 
65."   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 December 2001)

* Nigeria. Obasanjo approves controversial electoral law  -  Nigeria's 
President, Olosegun Obasanjo, has approved a controversial bill which 
changes the order in which the country elects its politicians. The law 
allows new parties to register and take part in local elections scheduled 
for 2003 -- doubling the current term for local councillors. Correspondents 
say a number of state governors are opposed to the move and have threatened 
to hold local elections next year. The new law also means that only 
established parties -- the ruling PDP and the two opposition APP and AD 
parties -- can put forward candidates for presidential, state governorship, 
and parliamentary elections before 2007. Analysts say the move could be an 
attempt by established parties to hold on to power.   (BBC News, UK, 6 
December 2001)

* Nigeria. Choléra: plus de 700 morts?  -  A Kano, avec près de 2 millions 
d'habitants, le choléra rôde depuis trois semaines. D'abord réticentes à 
admettre l'étendue du désastre, les autorités viennent d'avancer un bilan 
de 700 morts, dont quelque 250 enfants, indique un article paru dans Le 
Monde le 7 décembre. Mégapole insalubre, Kano n'a plus de distribution 
d'eau potable digne de ce nom. La catastrophe a été aggravée par le refus 
d'aide extérieure et la loi du silence. En janvier, les ONG étrangères ont 
été expulsées de l'Etat de Kano qui, depuis un an, applique dans toute sa 
rigueur la charia; le conseil des oulémas avait en effet jugé que les 
organisations humanitaires concouraient à la dépravation des moeurs. Il a 
donc fallu attendre le retour des ONG, notamment de Médecins sans 
frontières. Jusqu'à la semaine dernière, les autorités locales s'en étaient 
tenues à un bilan d'une vingtaine de morts et avaient estimé ne pas avoir 
besoin d'aide extérieure. - Toutefois, selon une dépêche de l'agence IRIN 
du 10 décembre, le gouvernement a informé que la maladie avait tué jusqu'à 
ce jour 90 victimes dans les hôpitaux de l'Etat, tout en reconnaissant que 
bien plus de personnes pouvaient être mortes en dehors des 
hôpitaux.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 décembre 2001)

Weekly anb1213.txt - #5/7