AFRICANEWS
Clippings
Burkina FasoIn a clamp down on anti-government demonstrations this week security forces arrested three political opponents in Ouagadougou on 13 April, the Union Interafricaine des droits de l'homme (UIDH) said.The union said its president, Halidou Ouedraogo and the others were arrested in their homes early today. The arrests come after days of tension following a peaceful weekend demonstration in Ouagadougou by pro-democracy organisations. The protestors were calling for justice in the case of investigative journalist, Norbert Zongo, found dead in suspicious circumstances in December 1998. As part of the government crackdown on pro-democracy activists, all schools and universities in all major towns were closed on Thursday. Saturday's march was "violently dispersed" by the security forces and at least 30 people were injured. In response to the "barbaric repression" displayed by law and order forces, the union said, a 72 hour national strike began on 10 April. However, confrontations between protesters and state security forces continued in the capital and in various provinces. A number of arrests were made, the union said. Some people have now been released, but others are still detained at the national police headquarters. (Source: IRIN)
CairoAt the opening of a regional conference on landmines, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) called on Egypt to end its support for the continued use of antipersonnel mines -- which kill or maim 26,000 civilians each year -- and to join the 137 nations that have signed the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. The ICBL called on other governments in the Middle East/North Africa region to do the same."Egypt increasingly seems to be emerging as a leading opponent of a comprehensive ban on antipersonnel mines," said Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch, a member of the ICBL, 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate. "Egypt has worked against the Mine Ban Treaty in major international fora, such as the last U.N. General Assembly session and the Africa/Europe Summit in Cairo last week. Egypt can become part of the global solution to the mine problem by demonstrating true leadership and joining the Mine Ban Treaty now," she said.(Source: APIC)
MadagascarAt the request of the Malagasy government, the United Nations this week launched a new "flash appeal" seeking US $15.7 million from donors to provide urgent humanitarian assistance for over 300,000 people affected by the devastation wrought 10 days ago by cyclone Hudah. In some areas in the northeast of the giant Indian Ocean island, only two days of food remain, a UN spokesman said.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the cyclone with swirling gales faster than 300 kmh at its epicentre had left the northeast of the country "extremely fragile". (Source: IRIN)
MozambiqueWhile the floods in Mozambique during the past month have undoubtedly reversed much of the progress made recently on many fronts in Mozambique, their impact on the country's well-established mine action programmes remains mostly unknown at this point. It is not yet possible to evaluate the impact of the floods that have devastated the southern and central region of the country, including the mine-affected provinces of Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala and Manica. Most areas affected are still inundated by the floods with the possibility of more floods as river levels increase again. In the areas where the flood is receding, there is still little mobility with few villagers returning home. In addition to mines, many other life-threatening problems confront Mozambique as a result of the flooding including the threats of malaria and cholera. (Source: APIC)
KenyaSixty people arrested during a demonstration demanding cancellation of Kenya's foreign debt were on 14 April charged with taking part in an unlawful assembly. The accused, including seven Catholics nuns, one priest , eight university students and group coordinator Wafula Buke, were at a Nairobi court. The nuns, from the Sisters of Mercy, Good Shepherd Sisters and Loreto Sisters appeared calm as the charges were read. The court was filled to capacity by friends and relatives of the accused. They started the march at Uhuru Park's Freedom Corner under the banner of the Kenya Debt Relief Network Jubilee Campaign and walked through the city's streets. They were confronted by anti riot police at the World Bank offices in Upper Hill. the group wants Kenya's foregn debt cancelled, saying the country spends 20 to 25 per cent of its total export earning to repay the sh240 billion debt. (Source: Daily Nation)
NamibiaThe Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, Gabriel Sgihepo on Wednesday barred a television and radio news crew from covering a press conference called by the Congress of Democrats (CoD).According to 'The Namibian', Shihepo "hauled" two Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) parliamentary journalists out of a press conference held by the CoD shortly after the party walked out of the National Assembly. NBC Director-General Ben Mulongeni supported Shihepo and was quoted by 'The Namibian' as saying that the journalists were "wrong to take a camera from the National Assembly to the press conference". He said the NBC staff who went to the CoD press conference would face disciplinary action. The Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Namibian Chapter said it would investigate the withdrawal of the NBC crew. Bridget Pickering, a Misa Namibia board member, said: "NBC is a public broadcaster and we feel that they should cover news events if they feel it is important. The journalists should decide and I don't think they should be penalised for that." (Source: INFODOC)
South AfricaAt the invitation of the Bishops of Sudan, a delegation of the South African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) visited Sudan from March 20-31. The delegation was led by SACBC president Archbishop Wilfred Napier, and included vice-president Bishop Michael Coleman, Board member Bishop Patrick Mvemve, and Justice and Peace Department coordinator Ashley Green-Thompson. The delegation visited Nairobi, Khartoum, and four dioceses in liberated areas of southern Sudan."In what is the longest war in Africa, the Khartoum-based Islamic government of Sudan has waged an offensive against the south for the last 17 years, where mostly Christian and traditional religion predominate," stated the Bishops' press release. Close to 2 million people have died as a result of the war, and millions more have been displaced from their homes to refugee camps in neighboring countries and internal settlement camps within the country. (Source: Zenit)
| CONTENTS | AFRICANEWS HOMEPAGE |
USAGE/ACKNOWLEDGE Contents can be freely reproduced with acknowledgements. The by-line should read: author/AFRICANEWS. Send a copy of the reproduced article to AFRICANEWS.
AFRICANEWS - Koinonia Media Centre, P.O. Box 21255, Nairobi, Kenya
|