Africanews

WAR AND PEACE

BURUNDI On 2 August Tanzania closed its borders with Burundi as part of regional sanctions package against the Central African State aimed at bringing down Tutsi military rulers who seized power. Burundi's new Tutsi military strongman Pierre Buyoya said on 9 August that he was ready for all the consequences despite a tightening noose of sanctions imposed by Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Rwanda. Suspected Hutu rebels killed 22 people, including a family of 12, in Burundi's northwestern Cibitoke province, the state-controlled Burundi radio reported on 11 August. Burundi's military government was cut-off from its neighbours after Zaire became the last state in the region to say it had imposed sanctions following the July coup as reported on 2 August. The Burundian capital of Bujumbura was a city under siege on 30 August, suffering power and fuel shortages, as violent clashes continued to erupt in the provinces between the army and hutu rebels. Government soldiers battled rebels in the northern Kayanza province of Burundi. Observers said the clashes were only the tip of the iceberg, but it is extremely difficult to know exactly what is happening in the hills of this small African nation.

CAMEROON A witch hunt led to the deaths of 11 people, including five who killed themselves and three who were burned by angry mobs after being labelled witches, newspapers reported on 12 August. The reports in The Herald and The Cameroon Post, both published in the capital of Yaounde, said the deaths had divided the remote community of Njikwa between those who wanted to invite him back for more hunts.

ETHIOPIA Hours after Ethiopia said it had ended a two-day military offensive into neighbouring Somalia, a Somali spokesman said they had killed 150 Ethiopian soldiers and captured 70. Ethiopia, in a statement said its operation was intended to hit a Muslim fundamentalists blamed for recent bomb blasts in Ethiopia, according to military sources on 12 August.

GHANA Nearly 200 inmates being held in overcrowded, disease-ridden Ghanaian prisons have died over the last month , a human rights group said. The Independent Human Rights Commission made its allegations on 9 August. The Human Rights Commission based its allegations on statements from unnamed prisoners and prison workers.

LIBERIA On 1 August, rival Liberian leaders held out new hope for peace in their country by announcing they had agreed in the Nigerian Capital to disarm their forces in August. The announcement followed marathon talks in Abuja with Nigerian military ruler General Sani Abacha, who was elected chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which is trying to end the six year war.

UGANDA On 11 August fourteen bus passengers were killed and another 30 injured in two separate rebel attacks outside the northern district capital of Gulu newspapers reported .The rebels of the LRA first sprayed with bullets a bus 14 km south of Gulu on 9th August morning, killing two passengers and wounding 30, Sunday Vision newspaper reported. It said that the bus was en route to Kampala, 280 km south.

ZAMBIA On 30 August, former president Kenneth Kaunda said he was ready to meet with Zambian leader Frederick Chiluba for talks aimed at resolving political differences in the country. Dr Kaunda told a press conference that his party, the United National Independence Party (UNIP) was more than ready to hold talks they have been calling for. The newly amended constitution and the electors' register being updated by Israeli firm Nikuv are expected to be high on the agenda. Dr. Kaunda, who ruled this landlocked nation for 27 years, has been barred from seeking office by an amended constitution which only allows second generation citizens to run for the presidency. Dr Kaunda's parents came from Malawi.

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