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Weekly anb09191.txt #7

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 19-09-2002      PART #1/7
* Africa. Coffee growers in crisis - Millions of small coffee growers worldwide are in a crisis due to a rapid decrease of prices offered for the commodity on the world market, says Oxfam International in a report released on 12 September. The crisis threatens the livelihoods of the farmers and their stay on the land. Unable to cover costs of production, small farmers fail to earn enough income to feed their families, send children to school and purchase essential medicines, Oxfam International adds. The price of coffee has plummeted 70 percent on the world market since 1997, resulting in a widespread humanitarian crisis for 25 million coffee growers in over 50 developing countries. (...) Ethiopia's export revenues from coffee have slumped from $257 million to $149 million in just one year. That loss, Oxfam International observes in its statement, "is nearly double the country's 2002 projected savings from debt relief." Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will, on 23 September, open a one-day conference at the UN Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, for discussion about the state of the coffee industry. (Editor's note: The charity Oxfam is launching a "Coffee Rescue Plan" urging political and business leaders to take immediate action, such as destroying surplus stocks and guaranteeing a fair price to farmers.) (PANA, Senegal, 12 September 2002)
* Africa. African nations ratify anti-terrorism pact - On 12 September, a group of African nations pledged cooperation in rooting out terrorism and vowed to refuse safe havens, visas and other forms of assistance to terrorists. At a four-day conference of the African Union, Sudan, Ghana and South Africa ratified an anti-terrorism pact, giving the final signatures needed to push through a convention adopted in 1999, said Algerian Minister for African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel. Until now, only 12 of the 53 members of the African Union had ratified the document that calls on signatories to beef-up anti-terrorism laws and to "prevent their territories from being used as a base for the planning of terrorist acts." It needed ratification by 15 members to take effect. Among the members that had already ratified it were: Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Eritrea, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Tunisia and Western Sahara. Officials said Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda were the next nations expected to ratify the pact, called the Convention on the Prevention and Combatting of Terrorism. The document also calls for better exchange of information and cooperation among signatories of police and other authorities in the pursuit of terror suspects. The conference was held in Algiers, and Algeria's President Bouteflika vowed he was committed to continuing the international fight against terrorism. He proposed opening in Algeria a centre for study and research for the fight against terrorism. (CNN, USA, 12 September 2002)
* Afrique. Assemblée générale de l'Onu - A la deuxième journée de l'Assemblée générale de l'Onu, les dirigeants africains se sont engagés à piloter les progrès du continent. La constitution de l'Union africaine et l'adoption du Nouveau partenariat pour le développement de l'Afrique (Nepad) illustrent la détermination du continent de sortir de la pauvreté, mais l'aide internationale reste nécessaire pour assurer le succès de ces intiatives, ont souligné en substance plusieurs dirigeants africains. Le président Kufuor du Ghana a affirmé que les investisseurs étrangers devraient être attirés par les conditions économiques favorables en Afrique. Le président de Madagascar, M. Ravalomanana, a remercié l'Onu d'avoir aidé au règlement de la crise dans son pays. Madagascar est disposé à redoubler d'efforts pour reprendre la voie du développement, a-t-il lancé. Le président Buyoya du Burundi a affirmé que le climat politique s'était considérablement amélioré dans son pays, mais d'autres défis doivent être surmontés, notamment la violence. Le président du Congo-Brazzaville a souligné l'établissement de nouvelles institutions démocratiques, et déclaré qu'avec cinq de ses voisins le Congo avait lancé une campagne destinée à la préservation des ressources naturelles du bassin du fleuve Congo, une intiative qui devrait inciter d'autres efforts au niveau régional. (Centre de nouvelles de l'Onu, 13 septembre 2002)
* Africa. Action against the Media - Congo RDC: On 11 September, the International Freedom of Expression Community (IFEX) expressed concern that publisher Delly Bonsange and publication director Raymond Kabala of the Kinshasa-based newspaper Alerte-Plus, had received prison sentences and fined. The two journalists were convicted of making "written falsehoods" and "harmful accusations" after publishing information about the Security and Public Order Minister's health. Côte d'Ivoire: Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) expresses concern (13 September) over a raid on 9 September by ten policemen at Mayama Editions, publishers of two daily newspapers, Le Patriote and Tassouman. Eritrea: On 17 September, RSF called on the international community to take sanctions against the rulers of Eritrea to force them to lift their year-old ban on all privately-owned media and to free 18 journalists. Sierra Leone: On 13 September, RSF expressed concern about a worsening of press freedom in Sierra Leone. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 17 September 2002)
* Africa. African Union - The newly-formed African Union (AU) has set out its first ever policy to tackle corruption which, it says, is costing the continent at least US $148 billion a year. A high-level meeting is being held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa this week to adopt a comprehensive draft policy that has been a year in the making. Ministers from the AU are expected to adopt a series of tough proposals which aim to tackle the graft that has blighted the continent. It is the first time that countries in Africa have drawn up a universal policy, to be called the AU Convention on Combating Corruption --designed to tackle its insidious effects. It calls on all public officials to declare their assets when they take office and train them on ethics. The bill also urges the private sector to fight and highlight unfair competition. (IRIN, Kenya, 17 September 2002)
* Africa. People in need - Southern Africa: The UN says (16 September) that the food crisis in southern Africa is worsening, and that almost 14.5 million people in the region are in urgent need of food aid. A senior UN official says the intensity of the crisis is increasing faster than expected and says the situation has deteriorated most in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Burundi: The Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) of the Arusha peace accord has urged donors and the international community to alleviate "the unbearable suffering" of the Burundian people by releasing funds to the country. In a statement, the IMC congratulated the World Bank for its decision to immediately grant an economic rehabilitation loan amounting to US $54 million. It added that Burundi's "dire economic and social situation" was -- after the ceasefire negotiations -- the IMC's main area of concern. The IMC recommended the immediate release of political prisoners and those being held without proper legal procedures, in accordance with the spirit of the Arusha agreement. Central African Republic: The World Food Programme (WFP) is to provide three months' worth of food to 9,166 households of internally displaced persons (IDP)s in Bangui. Up to 55,000 people will receive maize meal, pulses, vegetable oil, iodized salt and corn soya blend in an operation scheduled to start by the end of this month. The food will be shared among the IDPs as well as some Congolese refugees and their host communities. Ethiopia: It is estimated that almost half the cattle in Afar have been wiped out during the severe drought that has hit the region. (UN report on 16 September). Somalia: A camp for internally displaced people in the self-declared autonomous region of Freq was razed to the ground when a fire broke out there earlier this month. The fire swept through the Boqolka Bush camp -- on the outskirts of Bosaso -- on 3 September, destroying the personal belongings and household items of about 400 families living there. The cause of the fire has not yet been established and no casualties were reported. Uganda: The rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) on 9 September attacked another refugee camp in northern Uganda -- the third such attack in just over two months - looting and displacing more than 6,000 Sudanese refugees. The attack on the camp at Maaji in Adjumani District, followed an earlier raid on the same camp in July. On 5 August, the LRA attacked the Acholi-Pii camp in neighbouring Pader District, putting all its 24,000 resident Sudanese refugees to flight. The Ugandan authorities and UNHCR this week said they were finalising plans to resettle the Acholi-Pii refugees at safer sites in western and northern Uganda. Zambia: On 16 September, the UN warned that its emergency relief operation in Zambia will come to a halt in two weeks unless the government can overcome its objections to GM food. Zimbabwe: On 12 September, UNICEF said that malnutrition rates are increasing at an alarming rate. "All the assessments show that it is actually getting worse. As we move away from the harvest season towards the new planting season, things have got worse". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 17 September 2002)
* Africa. Human rights - United Nations: MISNA reports that on 12 September, Sergio Vieira de Mello (Brazil), former head of the UN Transition Administration in East Timor, inaugurated his mandate as the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He replaces Mary Robinson in this post. He announced that his first objective will be to transform the human rights theme into a source of unity, not division. 54-year-old De Mello, has wide experience in crisis zones such as Bosnia, The Great Lakes (Central Africa). Mozambique, Bangladesh and Peru. Eritrea: On 18 September, the Eritrean Government was severely criticised by Amnesty International for unlawfully detaining dozens of political prisoners and journalists. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 18 September 2002)
* Africa. NEPAD - 16 September: The UN General Assembly is debating Africa's new plan for economic development in a special, all-day session. The world leaders are discussing Africa's recovery plan (NEPAD). which targets increased foreign investment and better economic growth. Ten African heads of state are amongst the representatives of 80 nations thrashing out the key issues surrounding the effective implementation of NEPAD. Kofi Annan urges Africa to make combating AIDS and promoting girls' education the priorities of its new plan for development. The same day, Human Rights Watch says that General Assembly member states should emphasize political reform and respect for human rights over traditional economic development issues. 18 September: The World Health Organisation pledges to intensify its efforts to ensure NEPAD's success. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 18 September 2002)
* Afrique. Le désert perd du terrain - Une équipe de géographes européens a constaté, en rassemblant quinze ans de photos-satellites du Sahel, un net verdissement de la zone, signe que les terres cultivables regagnent progressivement du terrain sur le désert. Ce phénomène, à l'oeuvre depuis le milieu des années 1980 mais remarqué seulement aujourd'hui, concerne le sud de la Mauritanie, le nord-ouest du Niger, le centre du Tchad, une grande partie du Soudan et une partie de l'Erythrée. Le recul le plus net concerne le nord du Burkina Faso, qui voit en conséquence le retour de familles entières d'agriculteurs dans la région, selon la revue New Scientist. (La Croix, France, 19 septembre 2002)
* Africa/USA. Bush meets with 11 African leaders - 13 September: Against a backdrop of promised peace in Africa and possible war in the Persian Gulf, President Bush is meeting with 11 African leaders in the thick of that continent's oil production. Bush was to meet privately with the leaders of West and Central African nations before returning to Washington from the UN General Assembly. A senior administration official who briefed reporters on Bush's agenda for today's talks said he wanted to try to shore up the fragile peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo, and more broadly encourage "responsible African leadership to pursue the political and economic and social well being of their people." Bush is also laying the groundwork for his first trip to Africa, which is planned for early in the new year. Divided among three separate sessions, the leaders of these countries were meeting with the president: Republic of Congo, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, South Africa, and Sao Tome and Principe. The countries on Bush's guest list for Friday are either already steady oil producers or in the heart of West Africa's oil exploration boom, which now provides the United States with 15 percent of its oil. Their leaders' audiences with Bush come as the Bush administration seeks secure oil ahead of a threatened conflict with Iraq, a major exporter. (Washington Post, USA, 13 September 2002)
* West Africa. Peace caravan planned in Mano River Union - Security ministers from the Mano River Union countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone on 11 September renewed efforts to build peace in the sub-region by making operational decisions taken at a sub-regional meeting in Morocco in April, according to officials. They agreed, among other things, that a peace caravan comprising about 20 high-level officials from each of the three countries should tour their common borders, "from Guinea to Sierra Leone to Liberia, and from Liberia to Sierra Leone to Guinea" -- in December. The ministers held a two-day meeting together with other top-level government officials in Freetown. The meeting, which ended on 11 September, was a follow-up of the Morocco initiative that was convened by King Mohammed VI in Rabat to help mend relations between their countries. The 11 September meeting was attended by ministers and officials of the Mano River Union. It was called by Sierra Leone, which was mandated in Morocco to organise it. (IRIN, Kenya, 12 September 2002)
* Afrique de l'Ouest. Sécheresse au Sahel occidental - Les pluies inadéquates et imprévisibles assombrissent les perspectives agricoles dans plusieurs parties de la région du Sahel, en Afrique de l'Ouest. Plusieurs pays seront confrontés à de sérieux problèmes en matière de sécurité alimentaire dans les prochains mois. Dans le Sahel occidental, le CILSS (Comité inter-Etats de lutte contre la sécheresse au Sahel) relève que "les pays vivent dans la crainte d'une crise alimentaire". La Mauritanie est en butte à un déficit en céréales de 205.000 tonnes. Le Cap-Vert a fait savoir qu'au moins 30.000 de ses habitants sont déjà confrontés à des graves pénuries alimentaires. En Gambie, la récolte de riz a été sévèrement affectée, tandis que 60% de la récolte de millet et 40% de celle du maïs risquent d'être perdus cette année. Au Sénégal, le gouvernement a récemment minimisé les informations faisant état de pénuries alimentaires imminentes, mais les inquiétudes demeurent. En Guinée-Bissau, la situation est préoccupante dans diverses régions. Toutefois, la situation agricole au Burkina Faso, au Tchad, au Mali et au Niger est globalement meilleure cette année: l'apport accumulé des céréales dans ces pays pourrait être de 24% supérieur à la moyenne des cinq années précédentes. (D'après IRIN, Abidjan, 16 septembre 2002) 

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