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Weekly anb02282.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 28-02-2002      PART #2/7
* Angola. Savimbi killed - 22 February: There are unconfirmed report that the rebel UNITA's leader, Jonas Savimbi, has been killed today. The Angolan authorities say they will provide evidence that the veteran rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is dead. A government spokesman said pictures would be broadcast of the body of Mr Savimbi, who he said had been killed in fighting between Angolan army forces and his UNITA rebels on Friday. There has been no independent confirmation of the reported death of Mr Savimbi who has led UNITA for more than 30 years. A UNITA representative in Portugal dismissed the reports of Mr Savimbi's death, saying they were simply propaganda. However the BBC's Justin Pearce in Luanda says that while in the past the Angolan army has exaggerated its reports of military victories, it would be unlikely to issue a false report on a matter of such importance. The Angolan Government said Mr Savimbi had been killed in the rural eastern province of Moxico -- about 700 kilometres south-east of the capital, Luanda. A spokesman for President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said the army is holding Mr Savimbi's body in Moxico. He says: "We're going to broadcast television footage of the body". 23 February: Reporters in Lucusse, a remote town in Moxico province, eastern Angola, are shown Savimbi's body. Television footage of the body ends any lingering doubts about his fate. Angola's official news agency says he was buried in the afternoon in the presence of senior officers of the Angolan Armed Forces. 24 February: The Angolan Government says it is ready to take "decisive and rapid steps" to secure a ceasefire following Savimbi's death. Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama says he had been given the assurance by Angola's President Dos Santos. Gama says: "I was convinced that the Angolan authorities are aware of the need to act quickly to restore the peace process and achieve a ceasefire." UNITA issues a statement warning that "anyone who thinks the ideals of UNITA died with its leader are mistaken". 26 February: Lisbon's Diario de Noticias reports that international telephone calls by Savimbi and another UNITA member helped the Angolan government forces track him down. 27 February: MISNA reports that Armando Dembo is UNITA's new interim leader. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 28 February 2002)
* Angola. Peace talks in Washington - 25 February: The prospect of lasting peace in Angola is expected to dominate a meeting in Washington between US President George W Bush and three African leaders. Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is due to hold talks with President Bush and the presidents of Mozambique and Botswana, Joachim Chissano and Festus Mogae. The talks were arranged before the political landscape of Angola changed with the death of Jonas Savimbi. Before leaving for the US, President dos Santos said he wanted to bring about the rapid normalisation of politics in Angola. He was restrained in his first statement on the death of his long-standing foe, avoiding any sense of triumphalism. He said Mr Savimbi had fought for his ideals right until the end, but had finally misjudged his situation and capabilities. Mr dos Santos said urgent steps were now needed, including a ceasefire with Unita. If this was achieved by the end of this year, elections could be held in Angola within two years. 26 February: President George W. Bush has called on Angola's leaders to seize the opportunity presented by the death of Unita rebel leader Jonas Savimbi and bring an end to the country's long-running civil war. The Angolan Government says it is still committed to negotiating a ceasefire despite the first attack by Unita rebels since the death of Mr Savimbi. The attack on 25 February killed nine people and injured another 15 near Malanje, a city 300 kilometres east of Angola's capital Luanda. 27 February: The Angolan Government is to maintain its military pressure on UNITA. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 28 February 2002)
* Burkina Faso. Call for social integration of Africa's blind persons - A five-day international seminar for blind women in leadership positions opened in Ouagadougou on 26 February under the auspices of the African Union for the Blind (UAFA). Speaking to journalists before the start of the seminar, UAFA president Paul Tezanou from Gabon asked African governments to promote the welfare of blind persons through their integration in public services. He also called on the media to contribute toward achievement of the same goal. He said blind persons need access to all services provided by the public and the private sectors as well as the fundamental human rights. "We are asking to exercise our right of decision-making in our countries", he stressed, noting that physically handicapped people were increasingly considered as normal people. Tezanou said his organisation had "fruitful cooperation" with the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD) which provides grants to the 46 member countries of UAFA. (PANA, Senegal, 26 February 2002)
* Burundi. Levée de la suspension de NetPress - Le 21 février, le ministre de la Communication, M. Albert Mbonerane, a levé la mesure de suspension de l'agence d'information "NetPress". Le ministre a consulté des professionnels des médias, qui ont confirmé que les écrits de NetPress étaient souvent contraires à l'éthique et à la déontologie journalistique, mais ont demandé une mesure de clémence. Le directeur de NetPress s'est engagé au strict respect de l'éthique et de la loi qui régit la presse au Burundi. (Agence burundaise de presse, 22 février 2002)
* Burundi. 20 dissidents rejoin main party - Some 20 dissidents of the Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU), have rejoined the majority political party in the country, party sources said. The development comes four months after the return of the FRODEBU leader Jean Minani, from a five-year exile in Tanzania. Since his return, Minani has been reorganising the party through meetings. "It can be said today that the dialogue bore fruit," Minani told the press on 26 February, adding that the reunited party "will recover all its support and conduct its fight for peace, national reconciliation, development, democracy and human rights". Former Communal Development Minister, Denis Nshimirimana, is among those who returned to the party after a stint with Augustin Nzojiwami's faction. Nshimirimana has invited other deserters to the return to the fold. FRODEBU was founded by Melchior Ndadaye, who was elected Burundi President in 1993, but assassinated three months later in a military coup. Meanwhile, the FRODEBU renegade members have formed PADER, the Party for Democracy and Reconciliation, which has also pledged "to restore and perpetrate" Ndadaye's ideals. (PANA, Senegal, 27 February 2002)
* Cape Verde. Children's Parliament - Top officials of the National Assembly, the ministry of Education and the Cape Verde institute of minors, have signed a protocol aimed institutionalising a children's parliament in the country, sources in Praia disclosed. Since June 1999, a Parliament composed of children and young persons representing the whole country holds meetings in the National Assembly to discuss problems confronting Cape Verde youth. The project includes study trips, research avenues and debates. The parliamentary year of children and the youth ends in June with a national parliamentary session in the capital, to be attended by pupils elected by their schools. (PANA, Senegal, 19 February 2002)
* Centrafrique/UE. Accord de coopération - Le 27 février à Bangui, l'Union européenne et la République centrafricaine ont signé un nouvel accord de coopération d'un montant de 106,5 millions d'euros pour la période 2002-2007. Selon un communiqué de l'UE, ces crédits serviront à financer des programmes dans le secteur routier et celui de la santé, et à appuyer le programme macro-économique du gouvernement de Bangui, ainsi qu'au renforcement de la bonne gouvernance. Le Premier ministre centrafricain, M. Ziguélé, avait indiqué en octobre que 70% des crédits octroyés serviront à des projets visant à désenclaver le pays, en bitumant des routes vers l'extérieur, et à l'entretien de près de 15.000 km de pistes rurales à l'intérieur du pays. (PANA, Sénégal, 27 février 2002)
* Congo-Brazza. Campagne électorale - Le 23 février, l'Union panafricaine pour la démocratie et le progrès social (UPADS, opposition) de l'ancien président Lissouba, en exil à Londres, a appelé ses sympathisants à l'abstention lors de la présidentielle du 10 mars prochain. Ce parti, en proie à des dissenssions internes, n'a pas présenté de candidat officiel à la présidence. Cependant il appelle ses sympathisants à s'inscrire sur les listes électorales en vue des élections législatives. - Pendant ce temps, au quatrième jour de la campagne présidentielle, les habitants de la capitale Brazzaville dénoncent la partialité des médias publics dans le traitement de la propagande électorale et les gros moyens du camp présidentiel, indique l'agence PANA. - Le 25 février, on apprenait que l'Union européenne se propose d'envoyer 18 observateurs à Brazzaville d'où ils seront déployés dans toutes les régions du Congo pour suivre le déroulement de l'élection présidentielle. (PANA, Sénégal, 23-25 février 2002)
* Congo (RDC). Goma: réouverture des écoles - A Goma, les écoles rouvriront le lundi 25 février comme prévu, après une fermeture de cinq semaines suite à l'éruption volcanique du Nyiragongo. Environ un tiers des écoles de Goma a été détruit par les coulées de lave, mais les élèves seront accueillis dans les écoles épargnées. On veut accroître leur capacité d'admission en construisant de nouvelles salles de classe et en mettant en place un système de classes alternées. Un grand travail reste toutefois à faire, a indiqué le chef du bureau de l'Unicef. Il déplore notamment que la réouverture ne concernera que 55% des enfants de Goma, où une grande partie des habitants est trop pauvre pour payer les frais scolaires obligatoires. (D'après IRIN, Nairobi, 22 février 2002)
* Congo (RDC). Radio Okapi - Radio Okapi, la radio créée en RDC par la Monuc (Mission de l'Onu) et la Fondation Hirondelle, commence ses programmes le 25 février, symboliquement le matin même de l'ouverture du dialogue intercongolais en Afrique du Sud. Trois studios sont ouverts simultanément à Kinshasa, Kisangani et Goma. Pour le démarrage, le programme principal en semaine comporte des journaux d'information en français, lingala, swahili et tshiluba. La radio émet 24 heures sur 24, sept jours sur sept, avec de larges tranches musicales. Dans les prochains mois, le programme sera enrichi et de nouvelles stations régionales seront ouvertes à Kananga, Mbandaka, Kalemie, Gbadolite, Bukavu, Kindu et Bunia. Radio Okapi pourra être captée dans la plus grande partie du territoire de la RDC sur la fréquence 9550 Kh, dans la bande des 31 mètres, et en fréquence modulée à Kinshasa (103,5), Kisangani (94,8) et Goma (105,2). Radio Okapi est destinée à accompagner le processus de paix sur l'ensemble du territoire de la RDC. (Agence Hirondelle, Kinshasa, 24 février 2002)
* Congo (RDC). Goma: One month on - Omar Suleiman sits on the balcony of the Lumamba hotel, watching the cars drive down Goma's main street. Each vehicle churns up a thick cloud of brown dust which shimmers in the heat haze that still envelops the centre of this ravaged town. The hotel balcony used to be on the first floor. Today it is the new ground floor. The rest of the building, and the entire neighbourhood, lie submerged beneath a sea of lava. The main street is nothing more than a groove in the lava, smoothed by a bulldozer. Black waves, now rock hard, seem to lap against the balcony railings where Omar and his family sit and ponder their future. "Everything is destroyed," says Omar, the hotel's manager, showing me the incinerated beds and mattresses inside. Lava has even forced its way through the pipes into the upstairs toilets. One month after Mount Nyiragongo exploded, the lava field in Goma has stopped moving, but the crust is still warm to the touch. Young boys in thin plastic sandals run across the hottest patches pushing the cheapest form of local transport --home-made wooden bicycles -- piled high with vegetables. Every few metres, sulphurous smoke seeps from cracks in the lava. Push a stick into the hole and, within seconds, it will catch fire. "This must be the most hazardous place in the world," says Professor Dario Tedesco, an Italian vulcanologist brought in by the United Nations to monitor the volcano and other seismic activity. Mr Tedesco says the earth tremors have moved from Mount Nyiragongo, down towards Goma itself and on under Lake Kivu. He is worried that the lava in town is taking so long to cool -- a sign perhaps of new volcanic activity under Goma. As for the lake, "it could be a major tragedy," he says. Over the centuries, huge quantities of poisonous gases have built up on the lake floor. Increased seismic activity has already pushed the lake floor down by half a metre this year alone. The danger is that the gas will be destabilised, and forced to the surface. (BBC News, UK, 26 February 2002) 

Weekly anb0228.txt - #2/7