U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
email: irin@ocha.unon.org
Tel: +254 2 622147
Fax: +254 2 622129
e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org


CENTRAL AND EASTERN AFRICA
IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 31
29 July - 4 August 2000



CONTENTS:

BURUNDI: Mandela may delay donor conference until accord signed
BURUNDI: Most regroupment camps in Bujumbura Rural closed
DRC: Rwanda, Uganda concerned over government "offensive" 
DRC: Rebel splinter group reportedly surrendering in Bunia
DRC: Thousands of Congolese flee to Uganda
CAR: Thousands of DRC refugees arriving
ROC: DRC refugee numbers continue to rise
ROC: 630,000 IDPs back in home areas
RWANDA: Britain to support Rwanda recovery
RWANDA: MDR party to elect new leader
SUDAN: Khartoum clears OLS flight plans 
SUDAN: MSF suspends operations in Bahr el Ghazal
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: UN to send observer mission
SOMALIA: Agency suspends programmes over hostage-taking 
SOMALIA: Groups reach consensus
DJIBOUTI: Humanitarian needs "overlooked" 


BURUNDI: Mandela may delay donor conference until accord signed

The facilitator of the Burundi peace process, Nelson Mandela, has
threatened to delay a forthcoming donor conference on aid to Burundi
"until a peace agreement has been signed by all the parties". In a letter
to leaders of the negotiating sides, a copy of which was seen by IRIN on
Wednesday, said he had arranged to convene a meeting of donors in Paris to
raise funds for scholarships and the industrialisation of Burundi. "But I
cannot call the above conference and actually launch the scholarship
programmes until a peace agreement has been signed by all the parties," he
said. "I therefore urge you to resolve the outstanding issues with the
utmost urgency, so that the development programme can start without
delay." He urged the negotiators to "avoid wrangling and vying with one
another on such an important issue".

A source from the Mandela Foundation said she was sure the agreement would
be signed on 28 August as scheduled, and blamed the media for "hyping and
casting doubts over the possibility of the signing". "Those who choose to
exclude themselves are welcome to do so," she said. In his letter, Mandela
also said he would move his office to Bujumbura after the signing of the
accord. 

BURUNDI: Most regroupment camps in Bujumbura Rural closed

Most regroupment camps in Burundi's Bujumbura Rural province have been
closed, a humanitarian source told IRIN on Wednesday. "So far, 19 camps
have been completely dismantled, nine partially dismantled and between
five to eight still have a few people in them because of insecurity around
their former villages," he said. Bujumbura Rural governor Major Balthazar
Ntamahungiro was quoted by Burundi radio on Tuesday as saying that the
government had dismantled some 30 camps in the province. The government
had said the camps in Bujumbura Rural would be dismantled by 31 July.

DRC: Rwanda, Uganda concerned over government "offensive" 

The Rwandan and Ugandan authorities have expressed concern over offensives
reportedly launched by the DRC government, and called for an urgent summit
of the signatories to the Lusaka peace agreement. "The situation is
worrying," Rwandan presidential adviser on the Great Lakes, Patrick
Mazimhaka told IRIN on Wednesday. "The [President Laurent-Desire] Kabila
government has launched an offensive in the northwest and the Rwandan
government fully backs the efforts of the [rebel] Mouvement de liberation
du Congo (MLC) to defend its territory." Mazimhaka also claimed Kabila "is
making moves in the southern sector around Kabinda and Kabalo". "Our
troops are on the ground," he declared. 

The Ugandan government echoed Rwanda's position on the fighting in the
northwest. "It is very clear Kabila has launched an offensive by taking
over Dongo and Imese towns held by the MLC before the signing of the
Lusaka agreement," army spokesman Major Phineas Katirima said.

DRC: Rebel splinter group reportedly surrendering in Bunia

Troops from a rebel splinter group, which attempted to take over the
leadership of the Bunia-based Rassemblement congolais pour la
democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML) from Ernest Wamba dia Wamba
last week, are reported to be surrendering to Ugandan troops. "The cause
of the conflict was intoxication from Ugandan rebels of NALU [National
Army for the Liberation of Uganda], not differences in the leadership of
the movement as widely perceived," Wamba's press secretary Philip Mbirizi
told IRIN. "The people who caused some trouble are beginning to
surrender." The ethnically-based insecurity in Bunia's Ituri district has
been blamed on divisions within the RCD-ML leadership, which pits Wamba
against two other senior officials, Atenyi Tibasima and Mbusa Nyamwisa. 

DRC: Thousands of Congolese flee to Uganda

Some 10,000 Congolese have fled fighting in North Kivu over the last three
weeks and are arriving in Kisoro district, southwestern Uganda, official
sources confirmed to IRIN.  The semi-official 'New Vision' daily on
Tuesday quoted a local official, Jerome Hategekimana as saying over 4,000
people had been regisetered at Nyamutumbi and over 6,000 at Nyabishenya. 
An independent source told IRIN the refugees "said the Interahamwe asked
them go to Uganda which is more peaceful". "They [Interahamwe] have moved
into the gap between the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) and the
Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA),"  the source noted. 

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Thousands of DRC refugees arriving

Fighting in the northwestern province of Equateur has prompted some 6,000
people from the DRC, mostly women and children, to flee into the Central
African Republic (CAR), UNHCR reported last Friday. On Saturday 22 July
alone, some 1,203 people arrived in the CAR town of Zinga, situated along
the Ubangui River opposite DRC territory, agency spokeswoman Delphine
Marie stated. "They say they are fleeing bombing by the Congolese army,
reportedly around the town of Libenge," Marie said, adding that a recent
UNHCR mission to the area across the river from Libenge confirmed seeing
bombs being dropped on the town.  Diplomatic soruces described the refugee
situation as worrying and precarious, particularly regarding food and
sanitation. The sources warned that if the DRC government offensive in
Equateur province continued, the situation in CAR would give even more
cause for concern.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO: DRC refugee numbers continue to rise

Humanitarian access to some 60,000 to 65,000 refugees from the DRC who are
scattered along a 700 km stretch of the Congo and Ubangui rivers inside
the Republic of Congo (RoC) was still "very limited", the UNHCR said on
Tuesday.  The agency only had access to about 14,000 of the total number
of refugees, it estimated last week. UNHCR staff had managed to conduct a
mission from Loukolela to Motimobiongoa and Liranga on Saturday, and
confirmed the presence of some 2,000 refugees on the RoC shore, between
Loukolela and Liranga, UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski told journalists on
Tuesday. Small numbers were reported to be still arriving in all locations
downstream from Liranga, allegedly fleeing forced recruitment by the DRC
army in Equateur province, across the river from RoC. Access to refugee
groups, scattered between Liranga and Njoundou, was virtually impossible
because of multiple military checkpoints and armed gangs harassing traffic
along the river, Janowski said. 

ROC: 630,000 IDPs back in home areas

With the ROC ceasefire holding since January, displaced civilians have
been returning to their homes in increasing numbers. Of an estimated
810,000 displaced persons (including tens of thousands of refugees), more
than 630,000 had returned to their places of origin by July, according to
OCHA statistics. "Humanitarian access has also improved dramatically
throughout the country and areas previously under the control of non-state
actors [militias] are steadily reintegrating with the rest of the
country," OCHA stated in its July situation report, released on Wednesday. 
Overall, the most serious humanitarian needs were decreasing, while some -
especially in the areas of malnutrition and basic health structures - were
still quite critical, it said.
 
RWANDA: Britain to support Rwanda recovery

Britain's Secretary of State for International Development Claire Short
has said her government will support "efforts to ensure that the bright
prospects for the people of Rwanda can be realised", according to
Britain's Department for International Development (DFID). She was
speaking after a visit to Rwanda last month. "Preparation of a poverty
reduction strategy and qualification for much needed debt relief will
preoccupy the [Rwanda] government over the next six months," DFID said. 

RWANDA: MDR party to elect new leader

The Mouvement democratique republicain (MDR) party of former prime
minister Pierre-Celestin Rwigema has said it will hold elections for a new
party president, the Rwanda News Agency reported. The party dismissed
Rwigema as its president after he fled the country and sought asylum in
the US, accusing the Rwandan authorities of dictatorship. The MDR
executive secretary, Christian Marara, told RNA the party's vice-president
Celestin Kabanda would step in as interim leader, until elections were
held in 30 days' time. In a statement, the MDR distanced itself from
Rwigema's comments about the Rwandan government. RNA pointed out that this
was the fourth MDR leadership change in six years. Another former premier,
Faustin Twagiramungu, also fled the country and is currently in Belgium,
and his successor - Bonaventure Ubarijoro - was recently released from
detention on genocide charges. 

SUDAN: Khartoum clears OLS flight plans

The Sudanese government on Monday cleared the Operation Lifeline Sudan
(OLS)  flight plan for August, including external flights from
Lokichoggio, northern Kenya. UN Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator
Ross Mountain told IRIN on Tuesday that he welcomed the move. The OLS is a
consortium of many of the humanitarian organisations operating in Sudan,
including UN agencies.  Mountain met senior government officials on Monday
to discuss the breakdown of the humanitarian ceasefire in Bahr el Ghazal
province, southern Sudan, and recent criticism of the OLS humanitarian
operation in the Sudanese media. He told IRIN there was "full recognition
of the impartiality and transparency of the operations of the UN agencies
and NGOs under the consortium" within the government. 

SUDAN: MSF suspends operations in Bahr el Ghazal

Meanwhile, the non-governmental organisation Medecins sans frontieres
(MSF)  said on Tuesday that an aerial bombing campaign by the Sudanese
government had forced it to suspend its aid operations in part of northern
Bahr el Ghazal province, in South Sudan. In a statement released in Paris,
the NGO said it was "deeply concerned that its humanitarian aid and
transport planes are becoming targets of bombardments". The statement
warned there would be "extremely serious consequences for the civil
population" if access to the area remained "impossible". 

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: UN to send observer mission

The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously voted to send up to 100 UN
military observers and the necessary civilian support staff to Ethiopia
and Eritrea. The UN mission's mandate would be to verify the cessation of
hostilities; prepare for the establishment of the Military Coordination
Commission prepared for in the 18 June Cessation of Hostilities Agreement;
and assist in planning for a future peacekeeping operation, if necessary,
according to the terms of Security Council Resolution 1312, passed
unanimously by Council members. The mission would be in the area until 31
January 2001. The Council called on Ethiopia and Eritrea "to provide the
Mission with the access, assistance, support and protection required for
the performance of its duties." During the Security Council consultations,
members said the risk of violence was "minimal", but that the medical risk
in the area was "significant", humanitarian sources told IRIN. An
additional 25 military medical staff will be requested in an additional
resolution.

SOMALIA: Agency suspends programmes over hostage-taking

Action contre la Faim (ACF) has suspended its programmes in Somalia in
protest of the continued holding of two of its workers in Mogadishu,
Jonathan Ward and Francoise Deutsch. In a statement released on Thursday,
ACF said all programmes had been suspended "with the exception of minimal
life-saving activities". It said the organisation had been in Mogadishu to
help, which, with two of its workers held hostage, it was no longer able
to do. The statement warned that repeated kidnappings and insecurity
"could have serious implications for the continuation of international aid
and for reconstruction in Somalia". Somali clan elders, politicians and
prominent individuals in Mogadishu are negotiating with the group of
militiamen holding the two aid workers. ACF said it remained "in close
contact" with those conducting the negotiations, including "several Somali
committees" working to resolve the kidnapping. The two were kidnapped by
heavily armed militiamen from their compound last week.

SOMALIA: Groups reach consensus

Two clan-based groups at the Djibouti-hosted Somali National Peace
Conference have reached consensus on their nominees for the proposed
225-seat Transitional National Assembly. The Alliance group (formerly
known as "minorities") and the Dir handed in lists of their nominees on
Tuesday, after two weeks of political haggling. An arbitration committee
established to help break the deadlock over the last two weeks, is
reported to be continuing its work with the other major Somali clans: the
Darod, the Hawiye and the Digil-Mirifle.

DJIBOUTI: Humanitarian needs "overlooked" 

Djibouti's humanitarian needs have been overlooked and donor response to a
drought emergency poor, according to the non-governmental organisation
Refugees International (RI). Djibouti was known as the port of entry for
food aid for the region, but "hungry Djiboutians witness convoys of trucks
bound for Ethiopia", it stated. In the past few months, Djibouti's
population has swelled with illegal immigrants from neighbouring
countries, and there were increasing rates of malnutrition in children
under five, RI said. Officials and camp elders at Ho-Hol and Ali Adde
refugee camps in the south of the country had reported that migrants were
arriving at camps in search of food and water, it said. Despite the
effects of the continuing drought, and appeals for food relief, "the
government and UN agencies had yet to undertake a comprehensive assessment
of the situation", RI stated.

Nairobi, 4 August


[IRIN-CEA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: irin-cea@ocha.unon.org ]



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