U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
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SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 75
10 - 14 June 2002


CONTENTS:

ZIMBABWE: Crisis "falling off radar screen" says ICG

At the end of a week of rising concerns over human rights abuses in
Zimbabwe, the International Crisis Group (ICG) released a report saying
that the country appeared to have "fallen off the radar screens" even
though the crisis was deepening.

It said the prospect of serious internal conflict was becoming imminent
with grave implications for the stability of the wider Southern African
region.

The international response to the crisis had been mixed and inadequate.
Many African governments had given barely qualified approval to President
Robert Mugabe's re-election and most western countries had done little
except repeat rhetorical condemnations, making Mugabe think their policies
are "all bark, no bite".

It said the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) had expanded
neither the target list of affected individuals nor the scope for
sanctions they imposed on senior ZANU-PF figures before the election.

It was vital for the international community to focus its efforts on
defusing the immediate crisis.

The most promising avenue was the party-to-party talks brokered by South
Africa and Nigeria between the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC).

The talks were abandoned shortly after the MDC filed a court application
for fresh presidential elections after it rejected the March poll that
returned Mugabe to power.

"Other African states should give full support and make clear that
President Mugabe will be isolated if he does not end the political
violence and negotiate in good faith," it said.

It also recommended that African leaders should encourage Libya, which
supplies fuel to Zimbabwe, to cut off material support to the country.

The EU and US can "mute the rhetoric but toughen and extend targeted
sanctions" in addition to helping get the talks back on track.

They should also make it clear that there will be no progress on the New
Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and no progress at the G8
summit for Africa's recovery plan unless Africans put more pressure on
ZANU-PF.

For the full report:
http://www.crisisweb.org/

In other news, 40,000 people - mainly children - in Zimbabwe's western
Binga district will not receive their food aid after a food distribution
programme run by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace was closed
by police on Wednesday.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28294

Ahead of the introduction of an order forcing the media and advertising
industry to register with the government in order to operate in the
country, Zimbabwe's independent media launched the Zimbabwe National
Editors Forum (ZINEF) to protect editors against victimisation.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28306

Meanwhile, the recent warning that six million Zimbabweans face hunger,
could be the final straw for the country which is already reeling from
high inflation, daily food shortages and political instability.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28266

ANGOLA: Humanitarian crisis worsening, govt needs help

The week in Angola ended with the government asking the international
community for US $64.9 million in aid.

AFP reported that Joao Baptista Kussumua, Minister for Social Aid, said on
Thursday, that the money "would allow authorities to alleviate severe
shortages of medicine and food for victims of the war and to establish
educational programs for children and youth in several areas ... [and
would] reduce the suffering of Angolans during the next six months - the
time necessary to return demobilised soldiers, their families, and other
displaced people to their homes".

On Wednesday IRIN reported that the number of rebel UNITA soldiers and
their families entering quartering areas, to begin the demobilisation
process, had caught the government and aid agencies by surprise. It is
estimated that three million people require immediate humanitarian
assistance in Angola.

Of particular concern was that the number of troops in the quartering
areas had reached over 79,000 and the number of family members with them
had reached 230,000. This was in the nearly two months since the signing
of the ceasefire agreement on 4 April and was far more than expected, said
the UN Office in Angola (UNOA).

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28295

On Tuesday IRIN reported that a scorched earth programme of war had
resulted in thousands of Angolans dying of hunger. And now a war of words
had broken out between humanitarian agencies over the response to the
crisis.

Medecins Sans Fronteires (MSF) released a statement in Luanda which
lambasted the Angolan government and the United Nations for being
"unacceptably slow to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of at least
half a million Angolans".

The UN's Organisation for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
responded that: "The MSF statement is wrong on many points and the
accusation of indifference by the UN to the humanitarian crisis in Angola
is blatantly incorrect."

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Angola, Erick de Mul, said: "MSF has missed
the key point at this crucial juncture. Events have evolved very quickly
and the government is still gearing up to deal with the situation, as is
the international community, which has not yet fully responded to the
funding requests made by UN agencies and NGOs."

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28271

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Food crisis worsens

The news on Thursday that 70,000 Namibians in the country's northern
Caprivi region will also need food aid, underlined the growing food crisis
in Southern Africa.

The figure of 70,000 does not include the rest of Namibia as figures from
the rest of the country are still being finalised. They will be presented
to cabinet soon and President Sam Nujoma could join four other Southern
African countries by declaring a national disaster.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28316

Almost 13 million people in Southern Africa have been identified as
needing food aid.

In the same week as the controversial Wood Food Summit held in Rome, the
Southern African Development Community's (SADC) council of ministers met
on Thursday and decided to also prepare a regional appeal for non-food
aid, as the food crisis has had severe social and health ramifications.

In an interview with IRIN earlier in the week, Reggie Mugwara, SADC
director of the Harare-based Food and Natural Resources (FANR) unit called
it a complex emergency as factors like HIV/AIDS and poverty had deepened
the crisis.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28216

On Wednesday the World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed the announcement by
the United States that it would provide a third of the 1.2 million mt of
food needed in the region.

The WFP's Brenda Barton told IRIN: "A third is certainly a substantial
part of what is required ... this will really be significant in terms of
tackling the current crisis."

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28285

The WFP is currently finalising its assessment findings and hopes to
launch a massive appeal for funds in New York by the end of June.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28244


MADAGASCAR: New twist in crisis

In the latest twist in the Madagascan political crisis, former President
Didier Ratsiraka left the Indian Ocean Island for France. On Friday his
advisor told IRIN that the veteran leader had not abandoned the Malagasy
people and was still committed to finding a political solution to the
six-month long political crisis.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID=28329

On Thursday IRIN reported that troops loyal to President Marc Ravalomanana
had seized a third province from his rival.

Sources in the capital, Antananarivo, confirmed that pro-Ravalomanana
forces had removed the blockade on the Betsiboka River bridge - half way
to the north western province of Mahajanga - set up nearly three months
ago by backers of Ratsiraka to cut off the flow of vital supplies to
Ravalomanana's stronghold.

The latest development is seen as a significant victory for the newly
inaugurated president as the capture of the bridge could open a fuel
supply line to the besieged capital.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID=28313

On Monday IRIN learnt that the latest diplomatic efforts to negotiate a
lasting political settlement between the country's political rivals, had
ended on Sunday without agreement.

Negotiators, however, remained optimistic and produced a plan aimed at
diffusing the political crisis that has paralysed the Indian Ocean Island
for the last six months. The plan called for legislative elections to be
held before the end of the year and for a balanced transitional
government.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID=28240

MALAWI: NGO report fingers IMF and govt in food crisis

The week ended with the release of a damning report from ActionAid, an
international NGO, accusing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the
government of contributing to the food crisis gripping the Southern
African country. The report said: "A series of damaging miscalculations by
the Malawian government and donors aggravated long-term policy failures."

It added that a key component of the famine was the strain on relations
between donors and the government because of allegations of economic
mismanagement and governance failures. This, according to the report,
fatally delayed donors' response to the food crisis just as food shortages
were beginning to bite. It is estimated that 3.2 million people face food
shortages as a result of flooding and a poor harvest.

IRIN had reported on Tuesday that the IMF continued to deny allegations
that it had instructed the government to sell strategic maize reserves
just before a crop failure and widespread food shortages.

The IMF representative in Malawi, Girma Begashaw, countered allegations
that the financial institution was partly to blame for the current crisis:
"There appears to be a concerted effort to discredit the work of the IMF
in Malawi. Once again, we did not instruct the Malawi government or the
NFRA (National Food Reserve Agency) to sell the grain reserves."

The accusations are the most recent following comments by the country's
Finance Minister, Friday Jumbe, who told Reuters last week that the
government had been urged by the IMF and other donors to settle commercial
debts by selling reserves.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID=28265

While on Thursday IRIN learnt that Malawi resumed sales of tobacco after a
brief suspension sparked by growers' complaints of poor prices.

Godfrey Chapola, general manager of the country's Tobacco Control
Commission, told IRIN: "Growers were not satisfied with the prices offered
so we closed sales so that we could talk to the buyers and the growers
about the matter."

Tobacco accounts for up to 74 percent of the landlocked country's foreign
currency earnings, and 65 percent of tobacco growers are small farmers.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID=28305


IRIN-SA
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Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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