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 Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 email: irin@ocha.unon.orgCentral and Eastern Africa IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 5 29 January - 4 February 2000
CONTENTS: DRC: Uganda denies training Lendu people DRC: MSF withdraws from Bunia DRC: Ituri residents warned not to obstruct NGOs DRC: Rebels retake Shabunda RWANDA: Concern over growing insecurity in eastern DRC RWANDA: ICTR set to receive genocide suspect from Belgium RWANDA: Rights group hails US court ruling BURUNDI: Major players ready for next round of talks BURUNDI: Security evaluation before regroupment camps are disbanded BURUNDI: New penal code adopted SUDAN: New rebel group formed SUDAN: New group "unfortunate", SPLA says UGANDA: Displeasure over implementation of Nairobi accord ZANZIBAR: Amnesty levels accusations of rights violations KENYA: Security personnel deployed in northwest SOMALIA: Famine alert in Bakol region SOMALIA: Food convoy destined for Bakol ambushed ETHIOPIA: UN appeals for assistance REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Kolelas recognises Sassou-Nguesso DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Uganda denies training Lendu people The Ugandan authorities have denied training Lendu tribesmen, who are involved in a bloody ethnic war with their Hema rivals in northeast DRC. On 15 January, the Associated Press quoted the Christian Blind Mission (CMB), an aid agency active in the area, alleging that Colonel Peter Kerim, a senior Ugandan military officer had trained and armed 1,000 Lendu tribesmen with profits he had made from the sale of coffee. "The army officer they are talking about, Colonel Peter Kerim, is not in active service and lives in his village of Alur, and in any case all training camps for the Congolese are inside Congo not Uganda," Lt. Colonel Noble Mayombo, the deputy chief of military intelligence in the Ugandan army told IRIN on Monday. Uganda backs the RCD-Mouvement de Liberation (RCD-ML) of Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, which controls the Bunia area affected by the tribal clashes. The rebel movement has already denied involvement in the clashes. CMB has produced graphic video tapes of the bloody clashes and estimated some 5,000 Hema people had been killed since the majority Lendu erected roadblocks around Bunia town. DRC: MSF withdraws from Bunia Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) has withdrawn its team from the Bunia area due to "growing distrust" towards the organisation among the local population. Consequently all its operations in the strife-torn Ituri district had been suspended, MSF said in a press release. "There has been growing distrust among the population towards MSF with regards to MSF's neutrality," said the organisation, which pulled out on Saturday. "This led to a violent attack on an MSF team and ultimately it became impossible for MSF to continue its assistance to the population." DRC: Ituri residents warned not to obstruct NGOs The rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML), which controls Bunia, on Tuesday issued an appeal not to obstruct the work of international NGOs in the region. The statement, signed by Jacques Depelchin who is in charge of territorial administration, was read out over Bunia radio. "We warn anyone who seeks to influence the departure of the organisations that they will be prosecuted for causing people in danger to be deprived of assistance." The statement concluded by apologising to the NGOs "which are victims of unacceptable treatment". [To search IRIN's archives for reports on the Hema-Lendu crisis, click the following link: http://umva.ocha.unon.org/cgi-bin/htsearch?words=hema+lendu ] DRC: Rebels retake Shabunda Rebel-held Goma radio on Thursday confirmed that the rebel Armee nationale congolaise (ANC) had retaken Shabunda in South Kivu after its "temporary capture" by the "negative forces". Forces composed of DRC government troops, Mayi-Mayi warriors, Rwandan ex-FAR and Interahamwe militia "had for some time occupied the district but were now dispersed into the forests", the radio said. It claimed they had "important logistical backing from the Kinshasa regime - orchestrated from Kigoma in Tanzania". RWANDA: Concern over growing insecurity in eastern DRC Rwandan officials have expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. "Yes, were are closely following what is happening across the border," said Major Emmanuel Ndahiro, adviser to Rwandan Vice-President Paul Kagame. "[DRC President Laurent-Desire] Kabila's government has been air dropping arms to the Mayi-Mayi and Interahamwe militias," he told IRIN on Thursday. "His chief-of-staff is still in Walikale area. All this threatens the Lusaka peace agreement." "The negative forces have a broader strategy of infiltrating our rear base, which is a major concern, especially after everybody had declared their positions to the Joint Military Commission set up by the Lusaka agreement," he said. "Though the situation is not yet out of hand, the international community should be aware of this." In early January, Interahamwe militias attacked northwest Rwanda and killed more than 20 people after a long period of relative stability. RWANDA: ICTR set to receive genocide suspect from Belgium Genocide suspect Augustin Ndindiliyimana, who was arrested in Belgium on Saturday, will be transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) following discussions with the Belgian authorities, the ICTR's chief of prosecutions Mohammed Othman told the Hirondelle news agency. However, the former chief of military police will not be judged alongside a group of Rwandan military officers already being held in Arusha. This group includes Theoneste Bagasora, the former cabinet director in the defence ministry. "He [Ndindiliyimana] will tried with a number of military officials who we are still looking for," Othman said. "Some of them have already been found, others not yet." RWANDA: Rights group hails US court ruling The London-based NGO 'African Rights' on Wednesday issued a statement in support of a ruling by the US Supreme Court to dismiss an appeal against extradition by genocide suspect Elizaphan Ntakirutimana. African Rights says the court's decision to reject the retired pastor's appeal against extradition from Texas where he now resides was "correct and important". The organisation, which has been investigating the case against Ntakirutimana since 1995, added that extradition "represents the only just course of action given the strength of the accusations". African Rights said it had gathered solid evidence of the pastor's "central role" in massacres committed in Gishyita commune, Kibuye, during the 1994 genocide. BURUNDI: Major players ready for next round of talks Consultations among key players in the Burundi conflict have ended in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam, ahead of the all-party talks scheduled for 21 February. "Yes the consultations have ended and a lot of ground has been covered," Burundi government spokesman Luc Rukingama told IRIN. "Other issues, like the issue of the armed groups, will be discussed at the next meeting." The Tanzanian 'Guardian' daily quoted Judge Mark Bomani of the facilitation team as confirming the next round would start on 21 February. "But we are still negotiating with world leaders and parties to the conflict on their participation," he added. BURUNDI: Security evaluation before regroupment camps are disbanded The Burundi government will first carry out a security evaluation exercise before disbanding the much-criticised regroupment camps in the country. "In principle, we have agreed to close the camps, but a security evaluation exercise has to be carried out to determine whether it is safe for people," presidential spokesman Apollinaire Gahungu told IRIN. "This is not going to take long," he added. On 30 January, the 'Guardian' newspaper of Tanzania quoted "well-informed sources" as saying the Burundi government had allowed more than 80,000 civilians, who were being accommodated in 10 regroupment camps, to go home. BURUNDI: New penal code adopted The Burundi government has passed a new penal code with an emphasis on human rights issues. "There is a new procedure in place to review all cases and determine who stays in jail or who is freed," Human Rights Minister Eugene Nindorera told IRIN on Thursday. "My office is working with the minister of justice and the attorney general on this." His comments follow the release last month of over 200 prisoners awaiting trial. Human rights organisations have highlighted the appalling situation in Burundi's jails. SUDAN: New rebel group formed The formation of a new rebel group, the South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM), was announced in Nairobi on Tuesday. Members of the group told journalists that it was "an interim political structure to oversee and nurse the political and military developments in Upper Nile". Its objective was to "mobilise the people of greater Upper Nile Region for their effective participation in the war of liberation". SUDAN: New group "unfortunate", SPLA says The SPLM/A, for its part, described the move as "unfortunate". Its spokesman Samson Kwaje told IRIN he could not visualise how the SSLM would work in the "very fluid" Upper Nile situation. "This is a traumatised area," he said. "Instead of uniting the tribes as they are saying they would like to, they may end up fighting each other and creating more misery," he warned. "What is the use of adding fuel to the fire?" UGANDA: Displeasure over implementation of Nairobi accord The Ugandan authorities are not satisfied with the implementation of Nairobi peace agreement, signed last year by President Yoweri Museveni and his Sudanese counterpart Omar Bashir. "The matter is simple, we support the agreement, but we are not satisfied with the implementation, especially the release of all Ugandans held in Sudan against their will," Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the Ugandan minister in charge of the presidency told IRIN on Wednesday. On Tuesday, President Museveni told a news conference he doubted Sudan's commitment to the Nairobi accord. Sudan, meanwhile, played down Uganda's comments. "We are not worried about the statement attributed to the Ugandan president," Al-Mansor Balad, a Sudanese embassy spokesman in Nairobi told IRIN on Wednesday. "For our part, we are determined to implement all the stipulations in the agreement. We have already facilitated the repatriation of some abductees and ultimately if the accord is implemented all Ugandans, including the refugees, will be repatriated." ZANZIBAR: Amnesty levels accusations of rights violations The London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International last week said the charges of treason being brought by Zanzibari government against 18 members of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) party illustrates the "disturbing absence" of human rights protection in the country. "The treason charges against the members of the CUF are politically motivated," Amnesty International said. "There is no substance to the allegations of a violent conspiracy by the defendants to overthrow the Zanzibar government." Amnesty warned that the trial could further be delayed so as to weaken opposition campaigning for the next elections in October 2000. A government official in Zanzibar told IRIN the organisation's allegations were "untrue and baseless". He accused Amnesty of "applying double-standards" by "depicting the opposition as the aggrieved party while ignoring the welfare of the common man". KENYA: Security personnel deployed in northwest The Kenyan government has beefed up security in the northwest to thwart possible incursions by cattle rustlers from neighbouring Uganda. An official from the Office of the President told IRIN on Tuesday that a "large number" of security personnel were in the area since last week. "The situation in the area is calm, there is no problem," he said. The deployment followed the recent killings of 14 Kenyan Pokots by Ugandan Matheniko warriors. The Pokots had crossed into Uganda in search of food for themselves and water and pasture for their cattle. The official also denied press reports that nearly 5,000 Pokots could still be stranded in Uganda after the attack. SOMALIA: Famine alert in Bakol region The food security situation in the southern Bakol region is rapidly deteriorating, the Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU) warned last week. FSAU, funded by the EC and FAO, carried out a rapid assessment in the region last month along with USAID's Famine Early Warning System (FEWS). Poor deyr season rainfall over large areas of the Bakol region had led to extreme crop losses almost everywhere, representing the seventh consecutive poor harvest in the area. FSAU and FEWS both confirmed reports of recent food-related human deaths. "Visible signs of starvation are already seen throughout the Bakol region," FSAU said. "Malnutrition is widespread and increasing." The resumption of food deliveries to the region was urgently needed to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, it pointed out. SOMALIA: Food convoy destined for Bakol ambushed A food convoy destined for the southern region of Bakol was ambushed and one of the vehicles hit a landmine over the weekend, resulting in a number of deaths. The 15-truck convoy, delivering food donated by CARE-International, was under heavily-armed protection when militiamen ambushed it south of Mogadishu. After the ambush, the convoy took a different route but one of the trucks hit an anti-tank mine, with more loss of life. According to a BBC report, a total of least 20 people are believed to have been killed including militiamen security personnel and civilians caught in crossfire. ETHIOPIA: UN appeals for assistance The UN Country Team (UNCT) last week launched an appeal for US $190 million to help over 8 million Ethiopians and about 250,000 refugees in the country. Representatives of the UNCT told a news conference in Addis Ababa that current conditions in Ethiopia gave great cause for concern. "In many respects, the relief operation in 1999 only succeeded in meeting some of the most acute needs," the UNCT said. "If adequate assistance is slow in arriving, the crisis will not only return, but will be much larger in magnitude and severity, and certainly more costly and difficult to mitigate." REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Kolelas recognises Sassou-Nguesso Former prime minister and opposition leader Bernard Kolelas last week said he recognised President Denis Sassou-Nguesso as the Congolese leader. In an interview with Radio France Internationale, he expressed support for a ceasefire and a negotiated solution to the country's conflict. Earlier, about 150 of his Ninja militiamen surrendered to the authorities, following the signing of two ceasefire agreements. The authorities meanwhile freed 17 prisoners, some of whom who were allies of Kolelas, in the northern town of Impfondo at the beginning of January, AFP reported, citing the independent newspaper 'Les Echos du Congo'. The second peace accord was signed in Brazzaville on 29 December 1999, consolidating the first one of 16 November. Humanitarian sources said the new accord, signed by the government and five representatives of the "resistance forces", should greatly advance ceasefire efforts. The signing ceremony was attended by ROC peace mediator, President Omar Bongo of Gabon. The sources said thousands of militiamen handed in their weapons during the month of January, in keeping with the accords. The fittest among them will be integrated into the army, while the others will be assisted to return to civilian life. Nairobi, 4 February 2000, 10:00 gmt [IRIN-CEA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: irin-cea@ocha.unon.org ] [This item is delivered in the English service of the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or to change your keywords, contact e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org or Web: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . 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