AFRICANEWS

War and Peace

Angola's armed forces are battling to turn the tide in nine months of fresh conflict with UNITA rebels, but have had some success in recent days after two failed offensives. UNITA said in a statement towards the end of september that the government had launched an attack on its positions on September 14, a third major offensive after campaigns in December and March.

Independent Angolan radio has reported fighting throughout the country's central region in recent days, around the major government held cities of Malanje, Kuito and Huambo, which UNITA has besieged since early January. "There was a big punch-up south of Malanje at the weekend. Hundreds of UNITA soldiers were wounded and the rest have been driven back". 25 September: Government forces have advanced in the central highlands in a series of attacks designed to expand their control of territory around a series of large towns besieged for months by UNITA.

On 27 September Government forces said they had captured Bailundo, a key stronghold, from UNITA. For the moment, there is no independent confirmation. UNITA refutes the claim. (Source: ANB-BIA)

BURUNDI

Amnesty International says it is concerned for the safety of scores of detainees in police and military custody in and around Bujumbura. (The full text of the statement can be obtained from Amnesty International on: [email protected].)

On 29 September there were reports from Burundi of a massacre in which 30 Catholics were said to have been killed on 26 September in an attack on a church in Nyambuye, 90 kms from Bujumbura. However, in a report from the Press Agency "Fides" received on 30 September, the Parish Priest of Nyambuye denied such information daying there has not been such massacre.

In releated development, army has forcibly removed 260,000 civilians into makeshift camps in the past fortnight to clear the way for operations against rebels, according to UN officials. But reports say the displaced villagers are facing appalling conditions and people are dying every day. (Source: ANB-BIA)

CONGO (RDC)

Rebels say they reject foreign mediators chosen to help organise a national debate on the country's future. Father Matteo Zuppi of the Sant'Egidio Community, and former Benin president Derlin Zinsou arrived in Kinshasa on 20 september for talks with Kabila and opposition groups.

Meanwhile on 27 September a prominent opposition leader, Joseph Olenghakoy called for the involvement of France, Belgium and the United States in any post-war dialogue. Again Rwanda has denied massive troop deployment in north Kivu province, where tension is mounting between rival factions and their allies. In the meantime security concerns are holding up deployment of UN military observers. "We are making every effort to create the conditions in which we can start to deploy observers in the field," says Col. James Ellery, the British chief-of-staff of the UN mission. He says his advance team of 90 officers are waiting for security assurances. (Source: ANB-BIA)

KENYA

On 22 September, Kenya's Daily Nation reported that the Catholic Bishops told President Moi he was wrong on the constitutional review process, because it must be people-driven. The President, whose insistence that the process should be taken to Parliament has partly contributed to the review impasse, was asked to move quickly to re-start the process which had been planned to get underway in January this year. (Source: Daily Nation)

NAMIBIA

A "trickle" of Caprivi asylum seekers continue to cross into Botswana from Namibia, some claiming to be active supporters of Caprivi separatist rebels, an African diplomat told IRIN this week. Between August and the end of September, 18 asylum seekers arrived in Botswana,

with eight of them claiming to be involved "in one way or another" with the secessionist Caprivi Liberation Army (CLA). Over the past few weeks, a further 32 have arrived, with seven of them admitting CLA ties. Active involvement in criminal activities would make them excludable as refugees, the diplomat said.

"It is understood that the Botswana government won't be pronouncing on their eligibility until after the (16 October) elections," he added. The envoy pointed out that the strong Namibian military presence in the towns of the Caprivi Strip means that "the situation is quiet, but its very difficult to say that it's over and there could be (CLA) activity out in the bush."

SOMALIA

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Sergio Vieira De Mello said during a visit to Somalia on 12 October that the country had been neglected by the international community in recent years but that his visit, specifically requested by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, should be seen as symbolic of a new commitment by the United Nations to helping Somalis in their search for peace and development.

"Africa in general has been neglected. And, within that, Somalia in particular has been neglected," Vieira de Mello told IRIN in Baidoa, during the first visit to Somalia of such a senior UN official since 1993.

He said his presence - along with nine UN heads of mission and the European Community representative for Somalia - should also be seen as a message to the international community that immediate measures were urgently needed to fend off the prospect of serious food crises in several areas of southern and central Somalia.( Source IRIN)

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