U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network for Central and Eastern Africa

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email: irin@ocha.unon.org

Central and Eastern Africa
IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 4
22-28 January 2000



CONTENTS:

DRC: Shocking video highlights crisis in northeast
DRC: UN vows to act "promptly"
DRC: Security Council debate underway
DRC: Rwanda calls for full implementation of Lusaka agreement
RWANDA: ICTR finds former tea factory manager guilty of genocide
RWANDA: Kigali hails US decision to deport genocide suspect
RWANDA: Former parliamentary speaker flees to Uganda
BURUNDI: Mandela confident of solution
UGANDA: WFP resumes food deliveries to Bundibugyo
UGANDA: UNICEF says all freed Ugandans are LRA captives
ZANZIBAR: Treason trial peaceful
KENYA: Nomadic tribesmen ordered out of Laikipia
ERITREA: UNHCR allowed to resume operations
ETHIOPIA: OAU gets response to "technical arrangements"
SOMALIA: Puntland retaliates for Somaliland expulsions
SOMALIA: RRA withdraws staffing ultimatum
SUDAN: Rebels issue ultimatum for NGOs
SUDAN: Federal and state governments reshuffled
DJIBOUTI: Drought situation "increasingly desperate" - WFP
CAR: Troops open fire near president's home
CAR: France rules out replacing UN peacekeepers with its troops


DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Shocking video highlights crisis in northeast

Shocking new video footage of civilian suffering in the Ituri region of
northeastern DRC has depicted images of children being treated for deep
machete wounds, amputees, spear and arrow injuries, corpses, mass graves,
displaced people's encampments and burning villages.  The amateur videos
were released by the NGO Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM) this week in a
bid to draw much-needed attention to the crisis, sparked by land clashes
between the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups. CBM's Central Africa
representative David McAllister told IRIN on Thursday the decision to
disseminate the footage, taken from September last year up to this month,
was an "appeal to the world to intervene quickly". 

DRC: UN vows to act "promptly"

The UN Security Council on Wednesday said it would act "promptly" on a
resolution authorising an expanded mandate of the UN mission in DRC
(MONUC). In a statement read out by its president, Richard Holbrooke of
the US, the Council said it would consider, "at the appropriate" time,
preparations for an additional phase of UN deployment and further action
in the DRC. The statement urged all parties to the Lusaka ceasefire accord
to "build on the momentum" of the Security Council meetings held in New York
this week to
create the necessary climate for implementing the agreement in full.

DRC: Security Council debate underway

The UN Security Council debate on the DRC kicked off on Monday with
addresses by various state leaders involved in the conflict. UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan also spoke, noting there was still much
ground to cover. "That is your responsibility as leaders," he told the
meeting.  "This is your opportunity to serve the African people and enlist
international support for peace and stability on the continent."  Annan
also confirmed the appointment of former Botswanan president Ketumile
Masire as facilitator for the inter-Congolese negotiations. In her opening
remarks, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, said her country would
provide US $1 million to "assist Ketumile Masire's efforts to facilitate
the Congolese national dialogue". Such a dialogue was vital, she stressed.
It could be a critical step, not only towards ending the current conflict
but also in preventing future ones. 

DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila, in a speech described by observers as
"lacklustre", said the Lusaka accord was not working. He was prepared to
offer "a hand of reconciliation" to all the parties "without prejudice". 
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda commented that "we are not chickens to
be slaughtered by demented political actors. We expect the international
community to support us in this". 

DRC: Rwanda calls for full implementation of Lusaka agreement

The Rwandan delegation to the Security Council debate demanded the full
implementation of the Lusaka accord, including disarming the Interahamwe
and ex-FAR. "A lot of time has been dedicated to discussing the deployment
of a peacekeeping force, which is of course important, but other equally
important provisions like the disarmament of negative forces has not been
properly handled," Patrick Mazimhaka, the Rwandan minister in charge of
the presidency, told IRIN on Monday. He believed there was not a strong
commitment to disarm the armed groups as provided for in the agreement. 

RWANDA: ICTR finds former tea factory manager guilty of genocide

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Thursday
convicted the former tea factory manager, Alfred Musema, of genocide and
sentenced him to life imprisonment. The Internews agency, describing the
trial as one of the most compelling and complicated cases before the
Tribunal, said 50 year-old Musema stood impassively as the charges and
sentence were read out.  He was convicted of genocide, extermination and
rape. "Musema committed these acts with the specific intent to destroy the
Tutsi group," said presiding judge Lennart Aspegren. Musema was manager of
the Gisovu tea factory in Bisesero, western Rwanda, at the time of the
crimes during the 1994 genocide. His is the fifth conviction by the ICTR. 

RWANDA: Kigali hails US decision to deport genocide suspect

The Rwandan government has welcomed a decision by the US Supreme Court on
Monday to turn over an elderly Rwandan clergyman to the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania. "We would have
preferred the deportation of the suspect to Rwanda, but we are happy with
the decision to send him to Arusha," Rwanda's Prosecutor General Gerald
Gahima told IRIN on Tuesday. The suspect Elizaphan Ntakiritimana, 75, was
seeking to prevent the US government from surrendering him to the ICTR. 

RWANDA: Former parliamentary speaker flees to Uganda

The Ugandan authorities say they are searching for the former Rwandan
speaker of parliament, Joseph Sebarenzi Kabuye, who fled to Uganda over
the weekend. "We are looking for him, he may be hiding among the
population,"  Uganda's Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Lieutenant
Colonel Noble Mayombo told IRIN on Wednesday. Without specifying whether
Uganda would hand Sebarenzi over to the Rwandan authorities, Mayombo said
"the whole issue will be handled in such a way that the interests of both
countries are not jeopardised". The former Rwandan speaker was forced to
resign on 7 January amid accusations of mismanagement and political
infighting. Regional analysts told IRIN Sebarenzi's presence in Uganda is
likely to affect the already frosty relationship between Kampala and
Kigali, after their troops clashed in the DRC town of Kisangani last year. 

BURUNDI: Mandela confident of solution

Peace process mediator Nelson Mandela has expressed confidence that the
Burundi conflict will be settled soon, the South African Press Association
(SAPA)  reported. Addressing journalists in Johannesburg, he said
opposition and pro-government groups had agreed to "stop bickering" with
each other and within their own groups. "Time is running out...but I'm
confident a settlement is likely sooner than we think," Mandela said. "I
can't speculate when we will reach an agreement but I'm confident that the
leaders will find common ground before the funds run out within the next
two months." 

Meanwhile, US President Bill Clinton has pledged his personal support for
Mandela's peace efforts, news organisations quoted the former South
African president as saying. 

UGANDA: WFP resumes food deliveries to Bundibugyo

WFP has resumed food deliveries to Uganda's western town of Bundibugyo,
after a one-month halt of operations in the area due to insecurity. A WFP
spokeswoman in Nairobi confirmed to IRIN on Wednesday that six trucks
carrying 33 mt of food left for Bundibugyo on Tuesday, escorted by the
military, while another 60 mt loaded on 11 trucks left on Wednesday. She
said the resumption followed a government assurance of security. "The
situation appears to have calmed down significantly," she said. "WFP's
priority is now to find how many more people have been displaced as a
result of the [recent] serious upsurge in fighting [by the rebel Allied
Democratic Forces]," she added. 

UGANDA: UNICEF says all freed Ugandans are LRA captives

UNICEF has denied press reports indicating that not all the Ugandans
recently handed over to the agency in Sudan were captives of the rebel
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). "A total of 75 persons - 21 female children,
33 male children, nine female adults and 12 male adults - who are with our
office in Khartoum were freed from the LRA. The press reports were
incorrect," acting UNICEF Country Representative in Uganda, William
Fellows, told IRIN on Thursday. Earlier press reports said that only 17
out of nearly 80 Ugandans handed over to UNICEF had been identified as LRA
captives. Sudanese radio said a group of women and children left Khartoum
for Kampala on Friday. 

ZANZIBAR: Treason trial peaceful

The trial of 18 opposition Civic Union Front (CUF)  and members charged
with treason resumed peacefully on Thursday at Zanzibar's High Court,
despite fears that it would again spark street violence.  "Everything went
on very well and quietly. The streets were deserted," a government
official told IRIN on Thursday. "In fact, the case was adjourned to 28
February."  The official said he believed that the appointment of the new
Attorney-General would enable the case to move faster. 

Norwegian Ambassador to Tanzania Nils-Johan Jorgensen told IRIN on
Thursday it was time the Zanzibar government and the ruling party sorted
out the current stalemate in the isles. "It is a crisis crying for a
solution," he said. "There is a stalemate and the ongoing court case is
making the situation even more complex," Jorgensen said. 

KENYA: Nomadic tribesmen ordered out of Laikipia

The government on Wednesday ordered nomadic tribesmen in the
violence-wracked Laikipia district of central Kenya to return with their
cattle to their places of origin, Kenyan radio reported. An operation is
to be effected from Friday to "ensure that herdsmen who have moved into
the area with their livestock from neighbouring districts have left the
district", the report said. The area District Commissioner William Kurumei
warned security personnel and administrators against attempting to
sabotage the exercise adding that "stern action will be taken against such
people". Kurumei said the herdsmen, who had moved with thousands of
livestock into Laikipia district from Samburu and Isiolo districts to
escape drought, were creating tension in the district as they were
allowing their livestock to move into people's farms. 

ERITREA: UNHCR allowed to resume operations

The Eritrean government and UNHCR reached agreement on Monday to allow the
refugee agency resume operations in the country. It was expelled in May
1997 for what Eritrea considered "undue pressure" to revive the stalled
repatriation from Sudan of Eritrean refugees. Monday's agreement - under
which the refugee agency will focus on the voluntary repatriation of
147,000 Eritreans registered in refugee camps in Gedaref and El Showak in
eastern Sudan - followed a visit to Asmara by UNHCR Assistant High
Commissioner Soren Jessen-Petersen, UNHCR spokesman Jacques Franquin told
IRIN on Wednesday. Acknowledging that "the new political atmosphere which
has been developing between Eritrea and Sudan" had helped matters, and
that Khartoum was keen to have the situation resolved, Franquin said:
"It's time to proceed with the repatriation of these people, who are a bit
forgotten." 

ETHIOPIA: OAU gets response to "technical arrangements" 

Ethiopia on Saturday gave the OAU its response to arrangements for
implementing the OAU Framework Agreement intended to end the Ethio-Eritrea
conflict, Agence France Presse reported on Monday.  "Ethiopian responses
to the OAU clarifications have been submitted on Saturday to President
Bouteflika in Algiers by the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyoum
Mesfin. There is no comment in regard to the content," AFP quoted
government spokeswoman Selome Tadesse as saying. At the end of December
the OAU submitted written documents to the Ethiopia government to clarify
the technical arrangements for implementing the Framework Agreement. Addis
Ababa has rejected the technical arrangements, claiming among other issues
that loopholes in the plan could allow Eritrea to avoid fully withdrawing
to its pre-war position - the "status quo ante"  on which Ethiopia insists
- before border demarcation takes place. 

SOMALIA: Puntland retaliates for Somaliland expulsions

The Puntland administration has declared that it will not take part in any
meeting held in Hargeisa, principal city of the self-declared republic of
Somaliland, after the deportation under armed escort from Hargeisa last
week of a group of Puntland teachers due to attend a training session by
the Centre For British Teachers (CFBT).  The Puntland administration's
press release, issued by Information Minister Awad Ahmed Asharo, also
expressed surprise at the EC and UN's support of Somaliland, which it
described as secessionist and divisive. Regional observers told IRIN on
Wednesday that increasing tensions between Somaliland and Puntland over
the disputed territories of Sool and Sanaag are behind the dispute. There
was a drift within those regions towards affiliation with Somaliland (not
least because Somaliland is in a stronger economic position), which had
recently led Puntland to reinforce its militia presence and send
high-level delegations to the regions to consolidate its claim on them,
diplomatic sources said. 

SOMALIA: RRA withdraws staffing ultimatum

The Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA), which controls much of Bay and Bakool
regions in south-central Somalia, on Sunday withdrew an ultimatum it had
given to UN agencies and international humanitarian NGOs that they should
employ only members of the Digle and Mirifle community - and not "outside
clans" - in these areas. RRA chairman Hassan Mohamed Nur said, in a letter
to the UN, that after addressing "genuine complaints" to a UN delegation
in the RRA administrative centre of Baidoa, the RRA had withdrawn its
ultimatum. The militia group would continue to review and explore with the
humanitarian community such issues as the employment of Somali national
staff, security of aid agencies' workers and resources, humanitarian
assistance and the training of the RRA's newly-appointed administration,
the RRA statement added. 

SUDAN: Rebels issue ultimatum for NGOs

The Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association, which is the rebel Sudan
People's Liberation Army's (SPLA) humanitarian wing, has issued an
ultimatum to NGOs working in southern Sudan to sign a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) or leave the area, SPLA spokesman Samson Kwaje
confirmed to IRIN on Monday. "It is true, we want to have a memorandum of
understanding between us and the NGOs working in the area," he said. The
document was the result of a year's negotiation between the SRRA and the
NGOs, he explained.  "The NGOs are refusing to sign it, yet it will be for
their own good," he said. "It provides for the protection of the aid
workers and their property and also stresses that the NGOs must employ the
local communities." Kwaje stressed the MOU was not anything "new or
strange".  "We felt it was high time the NGOs operating in southern Sudan
signed it,"  he said. 

SUDAN: Federal and state governments reshuffled

President Omar al-Bashir on Monday reshuffled the federal and state
governments in a move to coincide with Sudan "entering a new stage of
political building", according to a presidential statement. The statement,
reported by SUNA news agency, said the reshuffle was also "in preparation
for a new start for the country during which national accord and peace
will be achieved". Also on Monday, SUNA quoted parliamentary speaker
Hassan al-Turabi as saying the ruling National Congress had overcome a
"big difference". His comments followed Bashir's decision to retain him as
the party's chief ideologue and spokesman, apparently despite their
earlier differences. 

DJIBOUTI: Drought situation "increasingly desperate" - WFP

WFP has responded to a deteriorating drought situation in Djibouti by
approving a US $2.7 million emergency operation to provide food assistance
to 100,000 people affected, the agency announced on Thursday. "Drought
symptoms are clearly evident in all areas of the country," said Sanda
Maina, WFP Country Representative in Djibouti, in a press statement.
"Little rain has left watering holes at dangerously low levels and
livestock has died either because there is a lack of pasture land or
because it's drastically deteriorating ... The influx of nomadic families
into the city shows their growing desperation." "In the districts of Ali'
Sabieh and Dikhil, the situation is made even more difficult by the
presence of displaced people from Somalia and Ethiopia," he added. WFP
said its emergency operation would involve distributing 6,000 mt of food
aid between now and the middle of June through the government's Office for
Assistance to Refugees and Disaster Victims (ONARS). 

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Troops open fire near president's home

Five people were arrested and there was widespread panic in the capital
Bangui after the presidential guard opened fire and used tear gas on a
militia group demonstrating near the residence of President Ange-Felix
Patasse on Sunday, news organisations reported. Around 100 members of the
Base Karako militia, who had supported Patasse during two army rebellions,
accused him of failing to keep his promise to incorporate them into the
army. There had been no official comment on the demonstrations, Agence
France Presse (AFP)  reported on Tuesday. 

CAR: France rules out replacing UN peacekeepers with its troops

Meanwhile, French International Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin on
Wednesday ruled out entirely the possibility of France returning troops to
the country after the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA)
completes its withdrawal, scheduled for 15 February. "It is out of the
question that France should station troops again in the CAR," Josselin
told Gabonese radio, adding that it was instead facilitating manoeuvres in
Lambarene, Gabon, to help six central African countries prepare their
armies to do peacekeeping duties themselves. The chairman of the OAU,
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, recently recommended to UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan that MINURCA's mission be extended to
February 2001 as a result of the volatile security situation and
unpredictability of the political environment. After his talks with
President Patasse and Prime Minister Georges Dologuele, Josselin said
France wanted to "continue to be a privileged partner of the CAR and
intended "to give an added boost" to its already active cooperation, AFP
reported. Josselin said he had delayed his visit until this time in the
interest of portraying "adequate neutrality"  after Patasse's re-election
in September, it added.

Nairobi, 28 January 2000


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