AFRICANEWS
Views and news on peace, justice and reconciliation in Africa
November 2001
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Congo-BrazzavilleA recent study on Small Arms Availability and Trade in the Republic of Congo says that about 41,000 weapons remain in circulation in the country, down from an estimated 74,000 weapons acquired by rival militias between 1993 and 1999. The study, prepared by the Small Arms Survey (SAS) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), says the weapons thought to be in the possession of militias are scattered throughout the country. Source: IRINAngolaAngolan Foreign Minister Joao Miranda told the UN Security Council on November 9, that a "substantial" number of Angolan troops have been withdrawn from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Angolan government news agency, Angop, reported. Miranda was speaking during a meeting among members of the Council and the Political Committee, of which Angola is chair. Source: ANGOPRwandaMore than 500 children suspected of genocide and other crimes against humanity were released on November 12 after spending three months in the Gaculiro re-education camp in Kigali. According to UNICEF Information Officer, Cyriaque Ngoboka, 13 girls were among those freed, after a traditional village tribunal heard testimonies of their innocence. The release brings to 1,500 the minors so far released from detention. Source: IRINZambiaZambian debt activists are questioning the transparency of government social spending under the donor-supported Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. So far, the government has made two allocations this year to rural development and health from funds saved under HIPC debt relief. However, according to the debt group Jubilee-Zambia, it has failed to announce how much money was disbursed. Source: AgenciesSudanSudan's health minister Ahmed Bilal has cautioned postal and civil aviation workers to take strict measures to prevent anthrax infections. Bilal said in Khartoum that postal and civil aviation workers have been advised to watch out and take away any parcel or envelope they suspect of containing anthrax contaminants. Source: Sudan NetUgandaThe army at the Uganda-Sudan border was on full alert early this month following reports that a group of rebels were planning to enter the country from their bases in southern Sudan. According to security and military sources in the district, the UPDF have been deployed along the border and have been placed on full alert. Source: New VisionZimbabweZimbabwean President Robert Mugabe early this month passed a decree, amending the country's Land Acquisition Act so that white commercial farmers can be forced off their land with immediate effect. Mugabe used a presidential decree to amend the law so his government could seize white-owned farms, targeted for redistribution to landless blacks, despite legal challenges from the owners. The decision means that farmers who have been issued with acquisition orders by the government will have to stop farming immediately and remain confined to their houses, which they will have to vacate after three months. Source: ReutersNamibiaInternational Bar Association (IBA) president Dianna Kempe may soon visit Namibia to raise the organisation's concerns over 128 men facing high treason charges, possibly without legal representation. Joanna Salsbury, the IBA's human rights institute lawyer, confirmed to IRIN recently that the organisation had written to the Namibian authorities listing their concerns over the men's' trial, set to begin next February. Source: IRINLesothoLesotho's general elections are on track to be held around April 2002, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said in its latest update. Although no specific date has been set, and several previous deadlines have been missed, "voter registration has been successfully completed and the process accepted by all the main parties, so there is no reason to expect further delays," the EIU predicted. Source: EIUCote d’IvoireFormer Ivorian president Henri Konan Bedie called on all politicians in Cote d'Ivoire to condemn the coup that ousted him from power in December 1999 in his first public speech in Abidjan since returning from exile in France in mid-October. He spoke on November 13 at a forum aimed at achieving national reconciliation. Current President Laurent Gbagbo also addressed the forum but two other leading politicians, General Robert Guei - Bedie's immediate successor - and opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, declined invitations to do so. Source: IRINLiberiaConsiderable changes are needed in Liberia to guarantee free and fair elections in 2003, the European Union (EU) said following consultations with the Liberian government on November 9 in Brussels. The changes on the political, legal, economic and financial fronts would also help the country meet the conditions for full co-operation between Monrovia and the EU in accordance with a partnership agreement linking the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the European Commission, the EU said in a news release. Source: AgenciesGuineaVoting in a referendum on a revised constitution in Guinea was marked by a peaceful atmosphere and a mixed turnout, a diplomatic source in the Guinean capital, Conakry, told IRIN on November 13. In Conakry, Guineans voted peacefully though under heavy military presence. Source: IRINSierra LeoneMore than 7,600 weapons recovered by UN peacekeepers during the disarmament of ex-combatants in Sierra Leone were destroyed on November 12 in the capital, Freetown, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reported. The event marked the beginning of the second phase of UNAMSIL's weapon's destruction exercise, which is expected to continue until December 10. Source: AgenciesChadChad's government does not plan to extradite the former military chief of the Central African Republic (CAR), who fled to Chad on November 9 after several days of fighting in the CAR capital Bangui, Chadian government spokesman Moukhatar Wawa Dahab told IRIN. The man, General Francois Bozize, has been living in Sahr, near the Chad-CAR border, with an unspecified number of men, Wawa Dahab said. Chad has based its decision not to hand over Bozize on Article 46 of its constitution, which forbids the extradition of political refugees, although the former military chief is technically not a refugee, according to Wawa Dahab. Source: IRINKenyaAt the end of their bi-annual Plenary Conference held between November 6-9 in Nairobi, the Catholic Bishops of Kenya issued a statement "as the conscience of society." They address themselves to Kenya’s most serious issues: corruption and poor governance. The Bishops said that corruption and bribery have permeated Kenya’s leadership. Aided by the culture of impunity, these two have brought down the country’s economy. The church leaders say, "...we cannot ... admit that the Government cannot curb the scandalous corruption which is found at so many levels, even at the very upper levels." Source: Daily Nation
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