Burundi: En bref ce 23 MARS 2006 ...

LE CONSEIL DE SÉCURITÉ DEMANDE LA CESSATION IMMÉDIATE DES VIOLATIONS DES DROITS DE L’HOMME ET DES HOSTILITÉS ENTRE LE FNL ET L’ARMÉE BURUNDAISE
Conseil de sécurité / 5394e séance – après-midi | 23/03/2006

Il encourage les parties burundaises à poursuivre dans la voie des réformes agréées à Arusha

À l’issue de consultations officieuses sur la situation au Burundi, le Président du Conseil de sécurité pour le mois de mars, M. César Mayoral (Argentine), a fait cet après-midi, au nom des membres du Conseil, la déclaration suivante:

Le Conseil de sécurité a pris note du sixième rapport du Secrétaire général sur l’Opération des Nations Unies au Burundi (ONUB), et approuve ses recommandations.

Le Conseil de sécurité est profondément préoccupé par la poursuite des violences auxquelles se livrent les Forces nationales de libération (FNL) et des combats entre celles-ci et l’armée burundaise, par les violations des droits de l’homme commises par les deux parties, ainsi que par les facteurs d’instabilité qui subsistent dans la région. Il demande la cessation immédiate des hostilités et des violations des droits de l’homme. Il salue l’engagement pris par le Président Nkurunziza de traduire en justice les responsables de ces violations, et encourage les autorités burundaises à œuvrer à cette fin en étroite liaison avec les observateurs des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies.

Le Conseil de sécurité prend note avec satisfaction des déclarations que le chef des FNL, M. Agathon Rwasa, a faites à Dar es-Salaam dernièrement, manifestant sa disponibilité à négocier en vue de mettre un terme définitif aux violences. Le Conseil exhorte les deux parties à saisir l’occasion de ces négociations en vue de ramener la paix dans tout le pays.

Le Conseil de sécurité prie dans ce contexte le Secrétaire général de le tenir régulièrement informé de l’évolution de la situation, et, en consultation avec le Gouvernement burundais, du plan de désengagement de l’ONUB.

Le Conseil de sécurité se réjouit des progrès accomplis par le Gouvernement burundais depuis l’achèvement de la transition, et notamment ses efforts tendant à réduire la pauvreté.

Le Conseil de sécurité encourage les parties burundaises à poursuivre dans la voie des réformes agréées à Arusha, en maintenant l’esprit de dialogue, la recherche du consensus et l’approche sans exclusive qui ont rendu possible le succès de la transition dans leur pays.

Le Conseil de sécurité invite les États de l’Initiative régionale à continuer de travailler avec les autorités burundaises à la consolidation de la paix dans leur pays et dans la région. Il encourage la communauté internationale, y compris les organismes concernés des Nations Unies, à continuer de soutenir les autorités burundaises sur le long terme.

Security Council calls for 'immediate cessation of hostilities and human rights abuses' in Burundi

SC/8670 | 5394th Meeting (PM)

In Presidential Statement, Council Expresses Deep Concern over FNL Violence, Urges Burundian Government to Work Closely with UN Monitors to End Rights Abuses

Deeply concerned by continuing violence carried out by the Forces nationales de libération (FNL), by fighting between that rebel group and the Burundian army, by the human rights abuses committed by both sides, as well as by factors of instability remaining in the region, the Security Council called this afternoon for the immediate cessation of hostilities and human rights abuses.

In a statement read out by César Mayoral ( Argentina), its President for the month of March, the Council welcomed President Pierre Nkurunziza’s commitment to bring those responsible for such abuses to justice and encouraged the Government of Burundi to work closely with United Nations human rights monitors to that end.

The Council welcomed recent statements by FNL leader Agathon Rwasa expressing his readiness to negotiate a final end to violence and urged both parties to seize the opportunity for negotiations to bring peace to the whole country.

Welcoming the progress made by the Government of Burundi since the completion of the transition, particularly its efforts to reduce poverty, the Council encouraged the Burundian parties to continue on the course of the reforms agreed in Arusha, while maintaining the spirit of dialogue, consensus and inclusion.

Taking note of the Secretary-General’s sixth report on the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB), the Council approved the recommendations contained in that document and requested the Secretary-General to keep it regularly informed on developments in the situation, and on ONUB’s disengagement plan.

The Council encouraged the relevant United Nations agencies to continue their support for the Burundian authorities in the long term and invited the States of the Regional Initiative to continue their work with those authorities on consolidating peace in the country and the region.

This afternoon’s meeting began at 1:20 p.m. and ended at 1:25 p.m.

Presidential Statement

The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2006/12 reads as follows:

“The Security Council has taken note of the Secretary General’s sixth report on the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB), and approves his recommendations.

“The Security Council is deeply concerned by the continuing violence carried out by the Forces nationales de libération (FNL), and the fighting between them and the Burundian army, by the human rights abuses committed by both sides, as well as by factors of instability remaining in the region. It calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities and human rights abuses. It welcomes President Nkurunziza’s commitment to bring to justice those responsible for such abuses and encourages the Government of Burundi to work closely with the United Nations human rights monitors to this end.

“The Security Council welcomes the statements recently made by the FNL leader, Agathon Rwasa, in Dar es Salaam, expressing his readiness to negotiate with a view to put a final end to violence. The Council urges both parties to seize this opportunity for negotiations with a view to bringing peace to the whole country.

“The Security Council requests in this context the Secretary-General to keep it regularly informed on developments in the situation, and, in consultation with the Government of Burundi, on ONUB’s disengagement plan.

“The Security Council welcomes the progress made by the Government of Burundi since the completion of the transition, in particular its efforts to reduce poverty.

“The Security Council encourages the Burundian parties to continue on the course of the reforms agreed in Arusha, while maintaining the spirit of dialogue, consensus and inclusion which made possible the success of the transition in their country.

“The Security Council invites the States of the Regional Initiative to continue to work with the Burundian authorities on the consolidation of peace in the country and in the region. It encourages the international community –- including the relevant United Nations agencies -- to continue to support the Burundian authorities in the long term.”

Background

Before the Council was the Secretary-General’s sixth report on the United Nations Office in Burundi (UNOB), dated 14 March, which provides an update of developments in that country since his report (document S/2005/728) of 21 November 2005.

In the present report (document S/2006/163) the Secretary-General observes that during the past seven months, the Government has focused its initial steps on enhancing longer-term prospects of peace, putting forward an ambitious legislative programme with an emphasis on enhancing security and combating corruption, supported by a budget focused on improving the delivery of social services and basic human needs. At the same time, the country faces a daunting interlinked combination of immediate and longer-term security, humanitarian, development and social challenges that will require urgent, substantial and sustained attention from the Government and its international partners. Burundi’s security and economic situation remains extremely fragile, requiring massive commitment by all involved. Urgent improvements are required in the areas of good governance, transparency and accountability, as well as respect for human rights and the continuation of major economic, security and political reforms.

Continued fighting with the FNL poses a long-term threat to Burundi and the region, the report says. It impedes economic development and imposes enormous human suffering, both in humanitarian terms and in the increasing human rights abuses associated with it. Despite the commendable efforts of the United Republic of Tanzania to bring about a negotiated settlement, no progress has been achieved so far. It is imperative that the FNL leadership declare without further delay their unconditional intention to engage in good faith negotiations with the legitimate Government of Burundi. In that context it is hoped that the leaders of the Regional Initiative for Burundi and the facilitation of the Burundi peace process will reinvigorate their support in order to bring the peace process to a successful conclusion.

According to the report, the effective maintenance of internal and external security by the Burundian security forces and their respect for human rights are essential prerequisites for progress towards the socio-economic goals outlined by the Government. While there has been progress in restructuring the national security forces by integrating former belligerents, both the National Defence Force and the Burundi National Police face massive equipment and sustenance shortfalls in all areas. The implementation of an effective, comprehensive security sector reform programme, supported by well-coordinated assistance from donor States, is urgently needed. The ONUB will be working closely with the Government and its international partners in the coming months on that priority track.

The report states that while significant strides towards building peace have been made, that lengthy and arduous process will remain for some time in view of the complex and deep-seated origins of the conflict, the scope and scale of the change mandated by the peace process and the enormity of the challenges faced in all spheres. In the meantime, the principles guiding the peace process need to be sustained by a continual process of consultation and consensus-building among the various political and ethnic groups. In that regard, the representation of political parties and their inclusion in the decision-making process remains an area of concern.

The Operation’s initial tasks have been completed, and priorities for support should now start shifting as the peace process moves forward, the Secretary-General states. However, given the severity of the challenges facing Burundi, and the lessons learned by the United Nations in similar post-conflict situations, the serious risks involved should not be underestimated. In the absence of solid progress in addressing many of the root causes of conflict, the possibility of a relapse remains strong. In that regard, and while collaborative planning on how better to structure the United Nations presence with the Government, the United Nations system and the international donors will continue on the assumption that the Operation will be totally withdrawn by 31 December 2006, it will be prudent to continue to monitor developments closely and assess the situation. Should the situation at that time so required, the pace of the ONUB drawdown could be adjusted accordingly in full consultation with the Government.

Bujumbura - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has deplored the poor economic and security situation in Burundi.

In a report on Thursday, Annan also urged support for the tiny central African state, which has endured nearly 13 years of ethnic-sparked civil war.

"After more than 10 years of a devastating conflict, the economic and security situation in Burundi remains extremely poor, thus the need for massive support by all concerned parties," said Annan in his sixth report on Burundi.

The UN chief said that, if need be, the phased withdrawal of peacekeepers should be slowed down.

He called for vigilance as the country continued to emerge from a war that has claimed more than 300 000 lives.

There are 3 901 peacekeepers in the country, since the gradual redeployment of many of the 5 640 troops in the country began in mid-2004.

Annan said the country still faced huge challenges, notably to resolve the conflict between remaining active National Liberation Forces (FNL) rebels and the government.

Last year, the country elected a new power-sharing government, headed by former guerrilla leader Pierre Nkurunziza and comprising all former seven insurgent groups, with the exception of the FNL.

But Annan warned that the peace process was still delicate, due to the complex nature of the war and its causes.

Burundi 'needs massive aid'
23/03/2006 - (SA)

New York - The United Nations peacekeeping force in Burundi has helped put the central African nation on the road to peace after a 12-year civil war and should be replaced by a massive international aid programme to reduce rampant poverty and promote development, said the head of the UN mission.

Carolyn McAskie said the annual $300m cost of the force - which was being reduced and would be gone by the end of the year - should be spent to build Burundi's economy, health services and education.

She said: "My challenge to the international community is, you've done the peacekeeping job, now do the peacebuilding job. That's the ultimate challenge, because if Burundi works, then it can have a positive spinoff in the region."

Council expected to discuss Burundi

McAskie, who was stepping down as head of the UN mission at the end of the month, said the security council authorised a 5 650-strong force in May 2004 at a time when Burundi's transition from war "was beginning to look a little bit shaky."

The council was expected to discuss Burundi on Thursday.

More than 250 000 people, mainly civilians, were killed in the war that erupted in 1993 after paratroopers from the Tutsi ethnic minority assassinated Burundi's first democratically elected president from the Hutu ethnic majority.

A series of peace deals led to democratic elections last year and the formation of a power-sharing government between members of the two communities.

UN force helped Burundians

She said: "Our assessment is that Burundi is by and large a success story, that the UN arrived at a critical point in the peace process when the Burundians had learned over a series of painful years to talk to each other."

McAskie said the UN force helped Burundians find legitimate ways to prolong the transition to complete a constitution, elections and disarmament, and to put in place a national defense force.

She said: "Burundi was able to achieve that more quickly and more effectively because of our presence and our input."

But, McAskie said the last group of rebels holding out from a series of deals that ended the civil war, the National Liberation Force, or FNL, posed a security threat.

FNL 'promising'

Earlier this month, the Hutu group, in a deal brokered by Tanzania, offered to negotiate with the government with no preconditions. She said: "The government is considering this request."

Asked whether the government was likely to accept, McAskie said: "My sense is they will eventually."

She expressed hope that the FNL could be brought into the peace process in the next three months, saying a negotiated solution was the only way to end the insurgency.

She said: "If it doesn't then we're going to have to find a way to continue to encourage the parties to come to the table."

BUJUMBURA, March 23, 2006 (AFP) - United Nations chief Kofi Annan has deplored the poor economic and security situation prevailing in Burundi despite positive steps to reverse devastation by more than a decade of civil strife.

In a report received Thursday by AFP, Annan also urged for support for the tiny central African state which has endured nearly 13 years of ethnic-sparked civil war.

"After more than 10 years of a devastating conflict, the economic and security situation in Burundi remains extremely poor, thus the need for a massive support by all the concerned parties," Annan said in his sixth report on Burundi.

The UN chief said that if need be, the current phased withdrawal of peacekeeepers should be slowed down, calling for vigilance as the country continues to emerge from the war that has claimed some 300,000 lives.

Currently, there are 3,901 peacekeepers since the gradual draw down of the 5,364 troops deployed in the country mid-2004 begun in December and expected to wind up by the end of the year.

Annan also said that country still faced huge challenges, notably of resolving the conflict between the last active National Liberation Forces (FNL) rebels and the government.

Last year, the country elected a new power-sharing government headed by former guerrila leader Pierre Nkurunziza and comprises all former seven insurgent groups with the exception of the FNL.

But Annan warned that the peace process was still delicate owing to the complex nature of the war and its causes as well as reforms needed and the problem faced by different secotors.

Burundi is struggling to recover from the conflict that erupted in 1993 with the assassination of its first democratically elected president, a Hutu, by members of the minority Tutsi-dominated military.

The tiny central African nation, home to some 7.6 million people, is ranked the world's third poorest by the World Bank.

Burundi club back in Champions League
Thu Mar 23, 2006 JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Burundi's Inter Stars have been reinstated into the African Champions League after the expulsion of Zimbabwe's CAPS United, the Confederation of African Football said on Thursday.

Inter Stars had been beaten on the away goals rule by the Zimbabwean club in the first round of the competition but now progress to the second round after CAPS United were kicked out of on Wednesday for using improperly registered players.

CAPS United had already played the first leg of their second round tie against Raja Casablanca of Morocco last Sunday before their disqualification was announced.

Now Inter Stars will take on the Moroccan club, twice winners of the Champions League.

Raja will host the first leg of the tie in Casablanca on April 2 with the return in Bujumbura on April 9, CAF said.

Burundi: Dar Invites Bujumbura for FNL Peace Talks

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks | March 23, 2006
Bujumbura

Burundi has received an invitation from Tanzania to attend peace negotiations with the country's remaining rebel group, the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) led by Agathon Rwasa, the spokesman of the Burundian government, Ramadhan Karenga, has said.

"We will first send an exploratory team to go and listen to the Tanzanian government as nothing has been mentioned as to the agenda of the talks," he said on national radio on Wednesday.

However, Karenga said despite the government's wish to negotiate with the FNL, its priority was national reconstruction after a 10-year civil war.

"We now need to focus our talks more on reconstruction than the movement which is still killing people," he said.

On 11 March, Rwasa announced in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, that his movement was ready to hold unconditional peace negotiations with the Burundian government.

Previously, the FNL had declined to hold talks with the government, arguing that it had not taken part in general elections held in the country in 2005, in which former rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza emerged as president. It was only after preliminary contacts by the Tanzanian government that the movement recently agreed to unconditional peace talks.

Karenga said the government now considered the FNL issue a regional one. An initiative by countries in Africa's Great Lakes region to bring peace to Burundi, chaired by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has already declared the FNL a terrorist organisation. This declaration was made following the killing, in August 2004, of at least 150 Congolese refugees in Gatumba, near the Burundi-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border. The FNL had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Tanzania's ambassador to Burundi, Francis Mdolwa, said on state-owned Radio Burundi on Wednesday that his country was "ready to mediate the talks".

He said Rwasa had been in Dar es Salaam for over one week.

- 23/3/2006 - afriquecentrale.info

Une délégation officielle burundaise va se rendre à Dar es-Salaam pour discuter avec les autorités tanzaniennes d’éventuelles négociations de paix avec les rebelles des Forces nationales de libération (FNL), a annoncé jeudi le gouvernement burundais.

"Le gouvernement a reçu une invitation officielle de la Tanzanie pour des négociations avec les FNL à Dar es-Salaam (...) Nous allons envoyer une équipe de précurseurs chargée d’écouter le gouvernement tanzanien sur la proposition", a déclaré à la radio nationale (officielle) le porte-parole du gouvernement burundais et ministre de la Communication, Karenga Ramadhani.

"C’est après seulement que le gouvernement (burundais) décidera s’il est prêt à engager des discussions directes avec les FNL ou pas", a-t-il ajouté, sans préciser la date de départ de la délégation.

Il s’agit d’une avancée sur la question des négociations avec la dernière rébellion encore active au Burundi. Jusqu’ici, le gouvernement s’était dit "prêt" à négocier avec les FNL à condition que la médiation des pays de la région qui tente de sortir le Burundi de 12 ans de guerre civile en "décide" ainsi.

Après avoir été reçu par la ministre tanzanienne des Affaires étrangères, Asha-Rose Migiro, le chef de la rébellion hutue des FNL, Agathon Rwasa, a affirmé le 11 mars être prêt à des pourparlers de paix avec Bujumbura.

En janvier, le gouvernement tanzanien, qui a déjà mené plusieurs médiations au Burundi pour mettre fin à la guerre civile, avait transmis au gouvernement de Bujumbura une première proposition de négociations des FLN.

Les FNL refusent de reconnaître le nouveau pouvoir issu d’élections organisées en 2005 et dominé par la majorité hutue.

Major Burundi aid should replace UN troops-UN envoy

By Evelyn Leopold UNITED NATIONS, March 23 (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers, who are leaving Burundi this year, should be replaced by a massive aid program to lift the central African nation out of poverty after a dozen years of civil war, the top U.N. envoy in the country said.

Carolyn McAskie said on Wednesday, a day before she addresses the U.N. Security Council, that the $300 million annual cost of the U.N. mission should be spent on health, education and the economy in a country where 50 percent of the population is malnourished.

"Now is the time for the international community to say, 'Why don't we come together and try to get it right in Burundi?'" McAskie, a Canadian, told a news conference.

McAskie, who is leaving her post at the end of the month, said Burundi, with a population of 7 million, was small enough to thrive and could have a positive impact on the region.

"If we can't get it right in Burundi, then where could the international community get it right?" she asked. "My challenge to the international community is -- You've done the peacekeeping job. Now do the peace-building job."

Burundi is emerging from more than a decade of ethnic civil war that pitted rebels from the Hutu majority against a Tutsi ruling elite, killing an estimated 300,000 people.

A series of elections led to the swearing in of former rebel Pierre Nkurunziza as president in August under a Hutu-Tutsi power-sharing plan.

McAskie called Burundi "by and large a success story" and said the United Nations came at critical point in the peace process when Burundians "learned over a series of painful years to talk to each other."

The 5,500 peacekeepers, who arrived in 2004, helped the transition to elections, a constitution and the creation of a national defense force, McAskie said.

McAskie acknowledged that the last group of rebels, the Hutu Forces for National Liberation or FNL, still posed a threat in the hills around the capital, Bujumbura.

The FNL has agreed to talk to the government and McAskie predicted the government would accept, perhaps in the next three months.

Another major problem that needs to be addressed is human rights abuses, McAskie said. The FNL attacks civilians and extorts money to support itself. In turn, government soldiers, police and intelligence agents attack civilians in search of rebels hiding among them, she said.

"So the population gets in the away and they suffer," McAskie said.

BURUNDI : Changes heads of foreign missions
March 23, 2006 By Andnetwork .com Source : ANGOP
Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has issued a decree appointing new heads for the country`s missions abroad, an official statement said here Tuesday.
The statement said 15 new heads of foreign missions were appointed, but Burundi envoys in Pretoria (South Africa), Tripoli (Libya) and Kampala (Uganda), retained their posts.
Also, the country`s diplomatic post in DR Congo, vacant since 1996, was not filled.
Political analysts say the new diplomatic postings reflect the Burundi`s ethnic balance giving 50 percent of the diplomatic responsibilities to the majority Hutu and 50 percent to the Tutsi minority, as stipulated under the 2000 Arusha, (Tanzania) peace agreement that ended Burundi`s civil strife.
The same quota system has been applied to appointments in the Burundi judiciary, regional administrations, state-controlled and quasi-public companies, as well as the defence and security establishments.

Un Envoy Urges Massive International Aid For Burundi

March 23, 2006 | Sapa-AFP /yr By ANDnetwork .com

The outgoing UN special envoy for Burundi on Wednesday called for massive international aid to consolidate peace in the central African country recovering from nearly 13 years of civil strife.

"What Burundi needs now is the same sustained international support in the economic and social fields that it has benefited from in the political and security fields," Carolyn McAskie, a Canadian, told reporters here. "My challenge to the international community is ... you have done the peacekeeping job, now do the peacebuilding job ... because if Burundi works then it can have a positive spinoff in the region," she added. "Our assessment is that Burundi is by and large a success story," McAskie said, citing gains in the areas of ethnic reconciliation between majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, the democratic process and the government's efforts to root out corruption and promote good governance. The Canadian official, who is stepping down as UN special envoy after less than two years in the job, said the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) had successfully accomplished its mission. The withdrawal of the 5,364-strong UN force that has been deployed in Burundi since June 12, 2004 to help end the civil war is scheduled to be completed by December 2006. The ethnic-driven civil war in the tiny central African state claimed some 300,000 lives. "I believe now there's no justification for spending 300 million dollars (250 million euros) a year in keeping foreign troops in Burundi," McAskie said. "I would like to find a way to get that 300 million dollars into the economy and the social infrastructure." Among remaining challenges facing Burundi, she cited the fate of the National Liberation Forces (FNL) insurgency and the human rights situation. The FNL is the only one of Burundi's seven Hutu rebel groups not to take part in the national unity government of President Pierre Nkurunziza, a former guerrilla chief who came to power last year after a series of elections that restored democratic rule to Burundi. Earlier this month the FNL said it was ready to hold peace talks with the government but did not give details on when the talks, which were suspended last year, would resume. McAskie said both the FNL and Burundian government security forces were guilty of human rights abuses. She also warned that Rwandan Hutu rebels currently being hunted by UN-backed government forces in Democratic Republic of Congo might cross into Burundi and destabilize the fragile country. McAskie also underscored the fundamental issue of land ownership in Burundi, a country which is still 95 percent rural-based and where 50 percent of its 7.6 million people are malnourished. The World Bank ranks Burundi the third poorest nation in the world. Its economy is in ruins and two thirds of its people live below the poverty line. The UN said that 2.2 million Burundians -- including refugees and returnees -- will need food aid in 2006 because of poor rains, crop disease and poverty.

Des Burundais exigent la levée de l'interdiction de manifester

BURUNDI - 22 mars 2006 - PANAPRESS
La principale ligue de défense des droits de l'Homme, "Iteka" (dignité, en langue nationale, le Kirundi), a demandé mercredi aux autorités burundaises, la levée immédiate d'une mesure "sans cadre légal" interdisant les marches ou autres manifestations sur la voie publique dans le pays.

Le président de la ligue Iteka, Jean-Marie Vianney Kavumbagu, a trouvé anachronique que le retour à une vie démocratique normale depuis les élections générales de 2005, n'ait pas permis l'éclosion des libertés d'expression au Burundi.

On rappelle que c'est sous le régime militaire de l'ex-chef de l'Etat burundais, le Major Pierre Buyoya, que la mesure d'interdire les manifestations a été prise "en toute illégalité".

"Ceux qui enfreignaient cette disposition étaient arrêtés par la police, brutalisés et emprisonnés. Ils ne devront leur liberté qu'au paiement de fortes amendes", a indiqué M. Kavumbagu au cours de la présentation officielle du rapport 2005 sur les droits de l'homme au Burundi.

Selon lui, la police nationale continue encore à se référer à la mesure "sans fondement légal" pour disperser des réunions parfois anodines, comme récemment celles des pétroliers, des grossistes du sucre ou des ressortissants du Nord du pays installés à Bujumbura.

"C'est une attitude à bannir dans une démocratie qui se veut digne du nom et nous demandons que la liberté d'expression, sous n'importe quelle forme, soit respectée au Burundi", a souligné M. Kavumbagu.

Rwanda: Uganda Petitions Kigali On Detainees

New Vision (Kampala) | March 23, 2006 | Eddie Ssejjoba
Kampala

The government of Uganda has asked Rwanda to expeditiously try suspects arrested for different reasons but had not been tried in the Rwandan courts of law.

The government also asked that Ugandans that have been on remand for long be tried or released because detention without trial infringes on their fundamental rights.

On March 21, Uganda's ambassador to Kigali, Richard Kabonero, met the Rwandan Permanent Secretary in the ministry of justice, Johnson Busingye, to discuss several issues, including Ugandan prisoners in Rwandan cells.

"We asked that all suspects from Uganda be tried expeditiously. The minister promised that his government would look into that issue soon," Kabonero said from the embassy offices.

Kabonero, who presented his credentials to President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, said Uganda requested that suspects on remand be tried and sentenced, and those with no case to answer be released. He said the government also asked that suspects on light or minor cases be sent back to Uganda to face justice.

"Being at home would enable such suspects to be accessed by relatives, because such minor cases like theft can be handled from home," he said.

Uganda's First Secretary, Arthur Kasigazi, said the number of Ugandan suspects in Rwanda, including two on genocide charges, was worryingly high.

About 40 Ugandans were in prisons across the country at the time the team visited recently.

Kasigazi said after the visit, his team held discussions with Rwandan authorities and some suspects had since been taken to court, while others were released.

Jack Ssematimba of Gomba was arrested on April 1, 1995.

He was produced in court in 1995 and has since been remanded without trial.

Rachael Kaitesi of Kasambya was in 1996 found guilty of genocide and sentenced to 15 years.

Rwanda: Military I - Bagosora's Co-Accused Want Separate Trial

Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne) | March 22, 2006 | Arusha

Three senior army officers of the former Rwandan army (Ex-FAR) who are being tried jointly with Colonel Theoneste Bagosora have requested a separate trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

Bagosora, the former Directeur de cabinet in the ministry of defence, is regarded by the prosecutor of the ICTR as being the "mastermind" of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

The motion, which was filed last Friday, was rejected by the trial chamber. It was triggered by the proposed appearance at the tribunal of the former Prime Minister, Jean Kambanda, as a defence witness for Bagosora.

Bagosora has been on trial since April 2002 together with the former chief of operations in the Rwandan army Brigadier Gratien Kabiligi, the former commander of the Gisenyi (north western) military region, Lieutenant Anatole Nsengiyumva and former commander of the Para-commando battalion, Major Aloys Ntabakuze.

The three officers filed their motion after Bagosora's defence made known its intentions to call as a witness Jean Kambanda, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998, after pleading guilty to charges of genocide.

They argued that Kambanda's testimony would be "highly prejudicial" to their defence. They pointed out that the former prime minister's declarations when he pleaded guilty "contained serious accusations against the former government, political parties and the Ex-FAR".

"It is on the basis of these allegations that the tribunal passed its first judgment for the crime of genocide", said lawyers for the three officers.

They continue that Kambanda had at first been listed as a witness for the prosecution and that his allegations "show[s] that he intends to use the prosecutor's line of argument in this affair".

In addition to Kambanda, the three defence teams advance the same arguments with regard to the current minister of defence in Rwanda, General Marcel Gatsinzi, whom Bagosora's defence have long declared they intended to call as a witness.

The trial chamber rendered an oral decision rejecting the severance motion. But the defence lawyers immediately made it known that they would be filing an appeal.

They then requested that Kambanda's testimony not be heard until the issue had been resolved. The trial was adjourned to Thursday morning.

The decision to group Bagosora's trial with that of the three officers was taken in June 2000 despite objections from all defence teams.

In August 2003 Ntabakuze had applied to be tried alone but this was also turned down by the tribunal.

All have pleaded not guilty to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

This so-called "Military I" trial is one of the most complicated at the ICTR and is presided over by Judge Erik MÃ¸se who is also the president of the tribunal.

Rwanda: Kagame to Preside At Ict Summit

The New Times (Kigali) March 22, 2006 Sulah Nuwamanya Kigali

President Paul Kagame will open the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Africa Investment Ministerial Summit scheduled to take place in Kigali from May 4-6, 2006.

In a Press Release by the Ministry of Infrastructure dated March 21, the State Minister in charge of Energy and Communications Eng. Albert Butare was quoted as telling the co-organisers of the summit that Kagame expressed optimism at presiding over the opening of summit.

"I am pleased to confirm that the President has accepted the request to open the ICT African Investment Summit and that he looks forward to meeting ministers and other stakeholders who will be attending the summit," Butare told officials of Kemlinks International, the co-sponsors.

Eng. Butare further told the organisers that the government placed emphasis on Information and Communication Technology as the cornerstone for development.

"The Government of Rwanda has placed emphasis on the importance of the ICT sector in the development of her growing economy and has taken steps to embrace ICT in all the facets of her economic activities,", Butare is quoted as saying, adding that: "the summit provides a unique opportunity for the government of Rwanda to host such an important forum where major stakeholders in the country will be discussing relevant issues in the ICT sector."

To be held under the theme 'Strategies for sustainable development of ICT infrastructure in Africa', the ICT African Investment Summit is an 'annual forum where African stakeholders in the ICT sector come together to address issues that are critical to securing increased investments in broadcasting, IT, telecommunications infrastructure and service delivery in Africa'.

According to the release, the Summit will be attended by ministers from the Central African Republic, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda.

Shola Taylor, the CEO of Kemlinks International said the event comprises a forum and an exhibition.

'It provides an opportunity for participants to have access to technologies and ideas that will shape the future of Africa' Taylor was quoted as saying in the release.

The release also indicates that Rwanda will be given a special session to highlight her investment opportunities.

'Another key attraction is the announcement of winners of the third edition of the ICT African Awards during which, recognition will be given to key achievers in the ICT sector at the African level' the release adds.

The sponsors, Kemilinks International, is a global consulting firm that deals in ICT infrastructure development in Africa. The company has offices in the UK, South Africa and Nigeria.

L'improbable procès des soldats de Turquoise au Rwanda

par Christophe AYAD liberation.fr mercredi 22 mars 2006

Des plaintes accusant l'armée de complicité de génocide jugées recevables en France.

Les plaintes avaient jeté un froid, l'instruction, elle, s'annonce explosive. Dans une ordonnance rendue le 16 février 2006, la juge d'instruction aux armées, Brigitte Raynaud, a décidé d'aller à l'encontre du procureur Jacques Baillet et de déclarer recevables les quatre plaintes accusant l'armée française de «complicité de génocide» au Rwanda en 1994 qu'il avait rejetées en les estimant infondées. Fait rarissime, le parquet a fait appel de la décision de la juge d'instruction. C'est la chambre d'instruction de la cour d'appel de Paris qui tranchera.

Sur le même sujet
Une opération militaro-humanitaire
Derrière cette obscure bataille judiciaire se cache un bras de fer très politique entre deux visions radicalement opposées du rôle de la France au Rwanda avant et pendant le génocide de 1994, qui a coûté la vie à quelque 800 000 personnes, principalement des Tutsis. En février 2005, six Rwandais tous Tutsis avaient déposé plainte avec constitution de partie civile au tribunal des armées de Paris par le truchement de leurs avocats, William Bourdon et Antoine Comte. Les plaintes visent le comportement des soldats français durant l'opération Turquoise. Cette expédition militaro-humanitaire, à l'initiative de la France et sous parapluie onusien, avait débuté durant la dernière semaine de juin 1994, alors que le génocide était presque achevé.

Fortes réticences. Dès le début de l'affaire, la juge Raynaud s'est opposée au procureur Baillet. N'estimant pas les plaintes suffisamment étayées, ce dernier avait refusé d'ouvrir une instruction. Il avait réclamé une audition complémentaire des plaignants. Brigitte Raynaud avait alors décidé de se déplacer au Rwanda, ce qu'elle n'a pu faire qu'en novembre après avoir surmonté les fortes réticences du Quai d'Orsay et du ministère de la Défense.

Le 23 décembre, le procureur acceptait finalement d'ouvrir une information judiciaire contre X, rejetant toutefois quatre plaintes sur six en raison du «défaut de caractère direct et personnel de leur préjudice». Ce sont ces quatre plaintes que la juge a décidé de «repêcher», juste avant son départ à la délégation interministérielle à la Ville. Elle estime dans son ordonnance que les «auditions» d'Aaron Nshymiryayo, François Bagirubwira, Bernard Kayumba et Eric Nzabihimana «font ressortir des dommages réels, tant matériels que moraux ou psychologiques puisque chacun des plaignants a vu disparaître l'ensemble de ses biens, mais aussi et surtout tout ou partie de leur famille proche, pères, mères, frères ou soeurs, le plus souvent dans d'atroces souffrances».

Controverse. Les plaintes d'Eric Nzabihimana et de Bernard Kayumba, en particulier, ajoutent à la controverse sur l'attitude de l'armée française à Bisesero. Arrivés une première fois sur les lieux le 27 juin 1994, les soldats français ne sont venus sécuriser les lieux et protéger les rescapés tutsis qui s'étaient réfugiés sur cette colline que trois jours plus tard, laissant le temps aux tueurs de massacrer de plus belle.

Objectifs. L'instruction s'annonce plus que délicate pour la remplaçante de Brigitte Raynaud, Florence Michon, qui vient de la section antiterroriste du parquet de Paris. Les soldats français, acceptant mal d'être mis en cause, pourraient se retourner vers leurs supérieurs, voire les politiques. D'autant que les objectifs de Turquoise n'ont pas toujours été limpides, étant donné le soutien passé de Paris au régime (hutu) du président Habyarimana, en lutte contre la rébellion (tutsie) du FPR. Ainsi, le docteur Roland Noël, médecin réserviste volontaire à l'hôpital de Goma, en août 1994, qui vient de publier un court opuscule sur son expérience de médecin de Turquoise (1), assure à Libération avoir «entendu une conversation entre deux soldats du service des essences des armées dans laquelle l'un d'entre eux expliquait que les membres du COS [Commandement des opérations spéciales] avaient abattu deux rebelles tutsis au fusil à lunette infrarouge. Ça s'était passé au tout début de Turquoise, fin juin 1994.» Un témoignage qui corrobore ce qu'on savait mais qui n'a jamais été rendu public officiellement, à savoir que les troupes spéciales françaises ont été au contact du FPR.

Timide détente. Pour la justice militaire française, l'exercice s'annonce d'autant plus délicat qu'il se déroule sous la menace d'une épée de Damoclès judiciaire, l'enquête du juge antiterroriste Jean-Louis Bruguière sur l'attentat du 6 avril 1994, qui a coûté la vie au président rwandais Juvénal Habyarimana et déclenché le génocide. De source sûre, le juge Bruguière a bouclé son instruction, qui conclut à la culpabilité de l'actuel président rwandais Paul Kagame, alors à la tête du FPR, et de son entourage. Annoncée pour fin janvier, puis fin février et maintenant courant mars, la publication de l'enquête Bruguière est imminente. Elle aurait même dû déjà intervenir. Le juge antiterroriste a en effet transmis ses conclusions au parquet courant janvier. Ce dernier a théoriquement dix jours pour prendre des réquisitions, mais le dossier est enterré depuis. Interrogée à plusieurs reprises par Libération, la porte-parole du parquet de Paris n'a pas souhaité réagir. Et le Quai d'Orsay dit n'avoir aucun commentaire à faire sur le cours de la justice, qui pourrait toutefois mettre fin à la timide détente observée ces derniers mois entre Paris et Kigali.

(1) Les Blessures incurables du Rwanda, Editions Paari.

UGANDA

Uganda: DRC Summons Ugandan Diplomat Over Invasion Threat

The Monitor (Kampala) | March 24, 2006 | Frank Nyakairu & Agencies

THE foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday summoned a Ugandan diplomat in Kinshasa to lodge a protest against a threat of military intervention by Ugandan troops on DRC territory.

Mr Raymond Ramazani Baya told the Ugandan charge d'affaires, Ocana Big Jackson, that comments made by President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala were "totally unacceptable" and "particularly unfriendly".

The ministry said in a statement it had lodged "the government's surprise and strong objection to the threats from the highest levels in Kampala with regard to the presence of Ugandan rebels in the DRC."

Uganda's Information Minister Dr James Nsaba Buturo said that the President's remarks were misconstrued.

"The President did not threaten to go to the DRC in hot pursuit, he said now that we have LRA leader Joseph Kony and Otti in there (DRC) we are willing to offer any help if the authorities are willing to take it," Buturo said yesterday.

On Sunday, Museveni had threatened to redeploy Uganda's military in eastern DRC if rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army hiding there attacked his country.

LRA is waging a brutal war in Uganda's northern region.

Ramazani said joint efforts by the Congolese army and the United Nations forces, called Monuc, were being made to chase the LRA rebels from the region. "The success of this type of operation requires good collaboration between the services of our two countries," Ramazani told Ocana.

Kampala has long maintained that there are Ugandan rebels holed up in eastern DRC, which pose a threat to its national security. It used such claims to justify deployment of troops there and support for DRC rebels during the DRC's 1998-2003 war.

Uganda presses Aussie firm on oil find
March 23, 2006 - AAP
Uganda's government is pressing Australian oil explorer Hardman Resources to speed up tests to determine if recently found oil in the African republic is commercially viable.

Uganda's deputy commissioner for petroleum exploration and production Ernest Rubondo said he wanted tests conducted as soon as possible on oil from the Mputa 1 and Waraga 1 sites in the country's west.

The discoveries are the first of its kind in Uganda, which is looking for new industries to boost its impoverished economy.

"The process involves mainly establishing if the hydrocarborn deposits are extensive enough and if there is enough pressure for oil to flow to the surface," said Rubondo.

"We expect that process to go on for some two or so months but the most remarkable thing is that there is growing evidence that we could produce oil."

In the company's latest progress report, Hardman Resources managing director Simon Potter said both wells have been cased and suspended at a total depth of 2,010 metres pending the commencement of testing.

"The testing will provide better information on the reservoir than is available from the wireline logs and confirm oil properties," said Potter.

Uganda set to provide climate warning system services

www.chinaview.cn Editor: Wang Nan
KAMPALA, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Uganda plans to set up an overallwarning system on the natural disasters when celebrating the WorldMeteorological Day 2006 Thursday.

In a bid to achieve the goal, Uganda government calls for public awareness of the weather and climate related disasters, said a statement of department of meteorology.

It said the impacts of the disasters can be reduced through theuse and application of suitable early warning weather and climate information, though the disasters cannot be prevented.

It has been demonstrated in East Africa that over 80 percent ofthe natural disasters are either of a meteorological or hydrological nature.

Uganda's economy is highly dependent on the climate with about 42 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over 90 percentof export earnings and 80 percent of the employment from the Agriculture sector.

The statement noted, according to the temperature trend analysis, sustained warming particularly in the Rwenzoris and Elgon mountains has resulted into the rapid melting of the permanent ice caps, consequently diminishing the amount of water available for households especially in the rural areas where people rely on rivers and streams.

The department, therefore, prepared a number of services that can, if properly used, assist in the reduction of the negative effects of climate. The services included long-range, monthly, decadal and daily weather broadcast as well as warning of approaching hazard.

It further noted one of the most effective measures for disaster preparedness is a well-functioning early warning system that delivers accurate information dependably and in a timely manner.

Cholera-like disease kills eight in northern Uganda

Source: Xinhua 03/23/2006
An undiagnosed cholera-like disease has hit a district in northern Uganda, killing at least eight people for the last ten days, local media reported on Wednesday.

The unusual abdominal infection with symptoms similar to those of cholera had killed two in Maduga village, Obongi county, south of Moyo district.

Hassan Kaps Fungaroho, Obongi county MP-elect said Tuesday that the six people died over the weekend, making the death toll to at least eight.

The first victim of this unknown infection died on March 11 while the second died last Wednesday, showing signs of the disease include vomiting, watery diarrhea and rapid dehydration.

Fungaroho, a trained medical clinical officer, said 22 people had been admitted to Obongi health center in critical condition, with the same symptoms as the deceased.

He said at least five people were admitted everyday with diarrhea, adding that the strange disease might have been caused by the unsafe water sources after the breakdown of the water source that forced people to draw water from River Nile.

Earlier reports said the disease could be cholera, but turned out to be inaccurate, according to Dr Sarafin A'dibaku, the District Director of Health Services.

"It is a kind of diarrhea we cannot explain, but certainly, it is not cholera," A'dibaku said.

With cholera, a patient in critical condition either dies or recovers quickly. However, villagers admitted at Obongi Health Center had been there for almost a week.

Health educators had been put on high alert and dispatched to instruct the residents on proper hygiene practices to prevent further spread of the disease.

In a bid to avoid contracting the disease, local residents had suspended the tradition of shaking hands while greeting.

Ouganda : le chef de l’opposition fournit des preuves de fraude électorale
mardi 21 mars 2006 - Xinhua | armees.com
Le chef de l’opposition ougandaise Kizza Besigye a fourni à la Cour suprême une série de preuves dont une vidéo-cassette montrant de l’argent distribué lors de la campagne électorale du président Yoweri Museveni, a rapporté mardi un média local.
Avec ces preuves, M. Besigye, chef du Forum du changement démocratique (FDC), a demandé à la cour d’invalider la victoire de M. Museveni dans les élections du 23 février, et d’ordonner un recompte et de nouvelles élections. Parmi les preuves fournies par M. Besigye à la Cour suprême le week-end dernier, il y a une vidéocassette montrant le général Salim Saleh, frère du président Mseveni et commandant des Forces de défense du peuple ougandais (UPDF), distribuant de l’argent au cours des réunions de campagne.
M. Besigye, principal rival de M. Museveni dans la course présidentielle, a souligné que les élections avaient été gâchées par des intimidations, et par le manque de liberté et de transparence, alors que les 400 observateurs étrangers avaient conclu que le processus s’était déroulé sur la base de la liberté et de l’équité.
M. Museveni a remporté un troisième mandat présidentiel de cinq ans avec 59,28% des voix, contre 37,39% de M. Besigye, sur quelque 7,2 millions de votes valides. M. Museveni a défendu sa victoire en rejetant les accusations de fraude dans ces premières élections multipartites en Ouganda depuis 20 ans.
Les sept juges de la Cour suprême dirigée par le président du tribunal Benjamin Odoki assisteront mercredi à l’audition.

Uganda: Identify Refugees, Govt Told

The Monitor (Kampala) | March 24, 2006| Mercy Nalugo | Kampala

Members of Parliament have asked the government to immediately issue identification cards to refugees.

The MPs, while debating the Refugee Bill 2003, said some refugees had benefited from the country's resources like land at the expense of Ugandans.

"We need to know who is a refugee and who is not," Ibanda South MP John Byabagamba said.

"Refugees have acquired big chunks of land and are getting land tittles. This needs urgent attention."

Byabagamba said refugees were treated so well compared to Ugandans living in camps.

"The government should put controls on people entering the country as refugees," he said.

Mbarara Municipality MP, John Kigyagi Arimpa cited refugees in Nakivale and Oruchinga in Mbarara as having acquired land tittles.
The government's efforts to contract a firm for the national identity cards project hit a snag recently due to alleged under-the-carpet deals involving the State Minister for Finance, Mr Isaac Musumba, and some of the bidding firms.

Masaka Municipality MP John Kawanga said the government should expeditiously introduce identity cards to help sieve genuine from fake expatriates.

Soroti woman MP Alice Alaso said that some refugees participated in the just concluded elections, contrary to the law. "We have information that refugees were actively involved during elections," She said. Nakasongola Woman MP Grace Tubwita said people, whose identities were unknown, had bought land in her constituency.

Tanzania : Government underscores importance of biotechnology

March 23, 2006, Source : IPPMEDIA By Andnetwork .com

Biotechnology can be applied to address Tanzania’s needs and solve specific problems which constrain the socio-economic development, it was sounded in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

The Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Professor Peter Msolla, said to benefit from this technology the country needs the relevant skills, infrastructure and adequate financial resources.

Officially opening a one-day national stakeholders workshop on the Establishment of a Professional Biotechnology Association of Tanzania, Prof Msolla said the facility would also be an instrument to advise the government on biotechnology issues including human capital and infrastructure development.

Attended by more than 70 top class scientists from various institutions of higher learning and research stations nationwide, the Minister told the audience that due to lack of policy and biosafety regulations as well as guidelines to the safe use of biotechnology, their efforts are not well coordinated.

Said he: ’Most of the research and development programs are being carried out in isolation and without specific targets. I am pleased to inform you that my Ministry is in the process of preparing the National Science and Technology Research Policy which will take onboard the biotechnology research issues.’

He further assured his audience that his Ministry had already prepared a draft of the Biotechnology Policy that has incorporated the issues of biosafety, risk assessment and management soon to be approved by the government.

The Director-General of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) Prof Brig Gen Yadon Kohi told the gathering at the Mhasibu House in Dar es Salaam that the potential of biotechnology to enhance productivity and therefore economic growth is unprecedented.

He was presenting a paper entitled ’The Need of Forming a National Biotechnology Association for Tanzania.’

He added that since its emergence, modern biotechnology has been associated with debates concerning benefits and risks.

On the objectives Prof Kohi said generally the Association shall ensure the improvement of public understanding of biotechnology prospects in the national socio-economic development.

Dr John S. Kasonta told the workshop that the focus for biotechnology-based research and development and related industries development should be centered on building up a strong domestic private sector that should be initiated and fully nurtured with considerable public support.

Dr. Kasonta, a senior fellow at the COSTECH was presenting a paper on the role of public-private partnership in promoting biotechnology in Tanzania.

Tanzania : Kikwete hails victorious Museveni

March 23, 2006 Source : IPPMEDIA By Andnetwork .com

President Jakaya Kikwete said last night that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s victory in the country’s general election last month was well deserved.

President Kikwete made the remarks in a state banquet hosted in his honour by the Ugandan leader in Kampala.

’On behalf of the people of Tanzania, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you, once again, on your victory in the recent general election. The people of Uganda have spoken.

The outcome of the election was a resounding affirmation of the belief of the people of Uganda that you, President Museveni, and the National Resistance Movement, embody the best of their hopes and aspirations,’ he said.

’The magnitude of your mandate does not leave a shred of doubt as to the satisfaction of the people of Uganda with the direction your leadership is taking their country towards. You campaigned hard, the people of Uganda understood your vision for their country, and your victory is a deserved one,’ President Kikwete added.

He also commended the people of Uganda for demonstrating faith and belief in the democratic process, by engaging actively in the electoral process.

’Just like their brothers and sisters in Tanzania, the people of Uganda have proved to be a tough, informed and rightfully demanding electorate.’

President Kikwete reassured his Ugandan counterpart and the people of Uganda of his commitment as well as that of the people of Tanzania to strengthen the cordial relations that existed between the two countries.

He said throughout President Museveni’s tenure as the leader of Uganda, political and economic relations between the two countries had achieved new heights.

Tanzania remained strongly committed to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts in the region, and to the pursuit of regional peace, security and development within the agreed regional frameworks, he added.

President Kikwete arrived in Uganda yesterday for his first state visit to the country following his election last year.

TANZANIA : To carry out opinion poll on proposed EAC changes

March 23, 2006 By Andnetwork .com Source : Xinhua

Tanzania is planning to carry out a public opinion poll in May this year to gauge popular reaction toward the East African Federation (EAF).

The poll was originally planned for late last year but was postponed due to the country's general elections, according to Andrew Chenge, Tanzanian minister for East African cooperation.

Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, the three member states of the existing East African Community, have been pondering on transforming their economic integration bloc into a full-fledged political federation by 2010-2013 through a fast-tracking mechanism.

But some members of the public in these countries have been complaining that they had been left out in the cold in the decision-making and implementing processes of the EAF.

The heads of state of these three countries, therefore, decidedto start sensitizing their respective populace about the processesof the federation.

Chenge has estimated that the sensitizing activity in the form of public opinion polls would cost the country between 600 millionand 700 million shillings (500,000-583,333 U.S. dollars).

03/23/06 By REUTERS, BRUSSELS
The European Union gave the final green light on March 23 to a German-led military mission of up to 1,450 troops that will help protect elections in Congo set to take place in June, the bloc’s presidency said.
No member states had raised objections to the mission by an agreed deadline of 1800 GMT, allowing the EU to agree to a U.N. request for an EU force to support its peacekeepers there, a spokesman for current EU presidency-holder Austria said.
The plan will involve putting 400-450 troops on the ground in Congo, with 800-1,000 on standby outside the country. Deployment will take place two to three weeks before the polls and troops will stay for about four months, EU officials said.
The overall mission will be led from German headquarters in Potsdam, provided the German parliament gives its go-ahead, something that is foreseen by May despite domestic opposition.
France would command the forces on the ground, in another headquarters based in the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
France is ready to contribute around 500 troops to the total force, Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on March 20. Germany is expected to provide around the same number.
At least 10 EU countries are expected to take part, with Spain and Portugal each sending 100 soldiers and Sweden and Belgium up to 50 each.
The United Nations has some 17,000 peacekeepers in Congo but has said they are over-stretched and need support.

23 Mar 2006 - By Jack Redden - In Mwange Camp, Zambia
MWANGE REFUGEE CAMP, Zambia, Mar 23 (UNHCR) – After decades of conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the 43,000 Congolese refugees who found safety in UNHCR camps across the border in Zambia are now waiting to see if a June election in DRC will show it is safe to go home.

"They are ready to go; our surveys show up to 90 percent would want to go back this year after the elections," said Roy Mwamba, a UNHCR field worker in Mwange Camp. "They said after the election they would be certain about what is going to happen in the Congo. They are tired of having to run."

The complexity of organising repatriation to DRC before the paralyzing rainy season starts in October means there is unlikely to be a mass return in 2006 regardless of whether the election runs smoothly. But there is clearly a desire among many to go home.

Last year, 1,200 Congolese returned from one camp on their own, having handed in the cards that entitled them to rations. They preferred to face the uncertainties of life back home rather than remain in exile. In preparation for a possible organised return movement this year, UNHCR has contingency plans to move funds into helping refugees go home as soon as possible.

Most of the Congolese refugees are located in two camps set up by UNHCR and the government of Zambia in the north of the country. Mwange is the largest, with 20,000 people, followed closely by Kala with about 19,000 Congolese. In addition, there are 3,500 Congolese among the 14,000 residents of Meheba Camp, which is near the border further west and also shelters Rwandan and Angolan refugees. A further 17,000 refugees from DRC have spontaneously settled in Zambian cities and the countryside.

Most of the Congolese now in Zambia fled the province of Katanga between 1999 and 2002 to escape the war in DRC. This province had also faced war in the 1960s when it attempted to secede. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country the size of western Europe, has long had a troubled history. Although a comprehensive peace agreement in DRC was reached in December 2002, there has been continuing trouble in some areas between rebels and the government.

While Congolese refugees in Zambia are waiting to see what the result of the election will mean for them – which parties win, what tension it creates, what potential there is for violence – they pass the time preparing for their return in the camps.

"Some might stay here but most would like to go back to Congo," said Katato Kimpinde, who fled DRC as rebels approached his village in 1999. "I am thinking of going back, maybe in 2007 – it depends on the security situation. Economic conditions here are not good for me; I don't work, I have no source of income and I have not learned any skills."

Despite the hardships that come with life as a refugee – a foreigner in another country always faces an uncertain future and limited rights – Kimpinde is realistic about the benefits of asylum in Zambia. "I can say I am better here than in the Congo – here there is peace."

Unlike the rows of tents often seen in pictures of emergency refugee camps, the camps in Zambia are made up of traditional grass-roofed huts scattered over several square kilometres. Except for the neat grid-pattern of roads through the camps, they appear much as other villages in the thinly populated bush areas near the Zambian border with DRC.

Refugees have access to medical care in a clinic in each camp, some vocational training and elementary school education for all children. The refugees grow some maize, despite poor sandy soil, but depend mainly on food rations distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP).

After a 50 percent cut earlier this year because of a lack of funding, the monthly rations, exceeding 2,100 calories per day, are now back to normal. But to do this WFP has been borrowing from its programmes elsewhere and still faces a $4.4-million shortfall in funding for its Zambia supplies in 2006, which could again force cuts in August.

Much of the work on programmes in the camps is carried out by refugees. Both the medical workers in the clinic and the teachers in the schools are refugees who performed similar jobs before they had to flee DRC. In the camp schools, in preparation for their return, children are being taught in French and Swahili – neither of which are used in English-speaking Zambia.

In a class in one brick-walled school, young boys and girls take turns standing in front of their fellow students to do role-plays of a meeting between two French-speaking Congolese: shouting greetings at one another, they act out something that may well be their daily reality before too long.

DR of Congo: greater UN presence needed in Katanga to counter hunger, atrocities

23 March 2006 – United Nations relief officials are calling for stepped-up humanitarian and peacekeeping measures to confront hunger and “horrific atrocities” in Katanga in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where fighting between the army and Mai Mai rebels has driven over 150,000 people from their homes in the last six months.

“The national and international response to the evolving humanitarian crisis in the Congolese province of Katanga remains woefully inadequate,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, summarizing the findings of a joint mission there last week by OCHA and the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), a Geneva-based global network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with human rights, development and humanitarian issues.

Apart from the people who have fled, many others remain trapped or hidden in remote and inaccessible locations, making it likely that the actual figure is much higher than 150,000, OCHA added of the situation around three Katanga sites – Mitwaba, Malemba Nkulu and Dubie. Many of these people are living in appalling conditions with alarmingly high malnutrition and mortality rates.

Apart from the severe food shortage, protection is a major concern. “In both Dubie and Mitwaba we witnessed traumatized displaced populations – victims of repeated abuse by both the Mai Mai and Congolese army (FARDC) troops,” OCHA reported.

“A number of those interviewed spoke of horrific atrocities committed by the Mai Mai. Now many of them are being victimized again, this time by the Congolese army. In Dubie a number of women in the camps complained that their husbands or sons had been taken by the FARDC since they arrived, and had not been heard of since.

“They reported numerous abuses by FARDC troops, including rape, beatings, extortion, theft of food or plastic sheeting, and being forced to walk long distances carrying supplies for the army,” it added, noting that in Mitwaba, repeated reports of abuse by army troops led the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) a few weeks ago to formally request the removal of the 63rd Brigade based there.

The OCHA/ICVA mission’s recommendations included:

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) should take the lead in organizing a rapid response to the critical food shortages, with priority given to Dubie, where the shortage is most serious.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should take the lead in ensuring deployment of appropriate UN and NGO staff to monitor and follow up on protection needs, particularly amongst the 150,000 newly displaced people, deploying experienced protection staff to both Mitwaba and Dubie as a first step.
The UN should immediately open field offices in both Mitwaba and Dubie to liaise with local authorities and the military to better protect the civilian population; provide administrative/logistical support to UN agencies and NGOs; and help mobilize necessary resources.
MONUC should immediately establish a presence in Mitwaba and Dubie. If it cannot establish a permanent presence, it should immediately initiate regular patrols to these places by helicopter.
All humanitarian actors in the DRC and donors should continue to stress to the Transitional Government that it has primary responsibility for protecting and assisting displaced people and other citizens and to remind it constantly of its responsibility to prevent human rights abuses against civilians by its own army troops.

DR Congo incumbent president to pursue second term

KINSHASA, Mar 22, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s incumbent president, Joseph Kabila, announced Wednesday he would pursue a second term in office.

His decision to stand as a candidate in the next presidential election in June was in response to the demands of the DRC people and some well-known international politicians, Kabila said at a press conference.

He added that he would soon submit his formal application to the independent electoral commission.

Joseph Kabila, not yet 35, took office in January 2001 after the former president, his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila was assassinated.

An interim government was established in 2003 after Kabila's government reached an agreement with rebel groups to end a five-year war. The transitional period was scheduled to end on June 30, 2006 with a general election.

UN observer mission captures LRA rebel commander in Congo

Source: Xinhua 03/22/2006

The UN Observer Mission in Congo (MONUC) and the Congolese army captured a senior commander of the Lord's Resistance Army rebel in Garamba, according to report reaching here Wednesday.

Bosco Atubo's capture in the northeastern Congolese town of Aba Monday is the first tangible confirmation of the rebel group's presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Atubo was the second rebel commander in custody in DRC after Richard Odong, who was captured early this month on the Yei-Juba road.

"We are happy that the MONUC and the Congolese army have finally seen the truth and are getting serious with the Kony rebels," said state-owned New Vision daily quoting a senior security official.

The LRA led by Joseph Kony had no ground to continue their bandit style insurgency, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced 1.4 million civilians in northern Uganda for the last 20 years, following intensified pressure from military operations.

Ugandan military has been put on high alert since Kony has reportedly left his hideout in southern Sudan to join his deputy Vincent Otti in the eastern DRC.

The Congolese army had handed over Atubo to the MONUC who in turn handed him over to the Ugandan government.

Ahmed Warsame, head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees sub-office in Yei, Sudan, said the LRA's presence in the Congo has disturbed villages and camps where about 20,000 Sudanese refugees are sheltered.

Warsame said the LRA's activities around Garamba forced the UNHCR staff in the Aba Sudanese refugee camp to relocate to Aru, while another camp in Doruma was closed.

Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) forces and the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) have been conducting joint operations against the LRA on the Sudan-Congo border.

Annan stresses respect for DR Congo sovereignty

www.chinaview.cn

KINSHASA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Visiting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday urged respect for the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The DRC is a free country and "its neighbors should respect itssovereignty and refrain from certain activities," said the UN chief who was in Kinshasa on the second day of his visit to the central African nation.

He told a press conference that leaders concerned should be encouraged "to work together and try all efforts to appease the region in the interests of all countries."

Annan made the remarks after neighboring Uganda threatened to send troops into the DRC to capture the Lord's Resistance Army rebels, who are reported to operate in northern Uganda and southern Sudan, but suspected of maintaining secret camps in the northeastern part of the DRC.

On the instability of that region in the DRC, Annan said the United Nations did not accept malicious attacks on civilians and blue helmets. The Security Council has adopted resolutions against the illegal actions, he added.

Annan also expressed satisfaction over the arrest of the Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga, who has been held responsible for killing nine UN peacekeepers in an ambush in February 2005.

Last week, Lubanga was extradited to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face the first trial on charges of "conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 years and using them to participate actively in hostilities."

Annan said the arrest of Lubanga is "a very good example...a strong message that people won't accept impunity" of criminals.

Congo-Kinshasa: "La RDC est résolument engagée sur le chemin de la paix", estime Kofi Annan devant les Congolais

United Nations (New York) / 22 Mars 2006

S'adressant aujourd'hui au peule congolais, le Secrétaire général a estimé que le pays était engagé sur le chemin de la paix, relevant toutefois les défis de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) - contrôle effectif des ressources, restauration de l'autorité de l'Etat dans tout le pays et sécurisation des populations grâce à une réforme de l'armée et de la police.

Arrivé à Kinshasa hier pour une visite de trois jours en RDC, Kofi Annan s'est entretenu de nouveau aujourd'hui avec le président Joseph Kabila, a informé son porte-parole, lors de son point de presse quotidien, au siège de l'ONU à New York.

Aujourd'hui, le Secrétaire général a également rencontré les quatre vice-présidents de la RDC. Il a ensuite rencontré le président de la Commission électorale (CEI) qui a prévue le premier tour des élections présidentielles et législatives le 18 juin prochain.

Kofi Annan s'est ensuite adressé au peuple congolais qui, pour la première fois depuis 45 ans, est appelé à choisir ses dirigeants.

« Aujourd'hui, la RDC est résolument engagée sur le chemin de la paix. Le pays est réunifié. L'État a commencé à redéployer son administration sur une grande partie du territoire. Une nouvelle Constitution a été promulguée le mois dernier, à la suite du référendum de décembre 2005. Et la signature le 9 mars de la loi électorale a ouvert la voie à la tenue d'élections démocratiques qui mettront fin à la transition engagée en 2003 », a rappelé le Secrétaire général dans un discours prononcé à Kinshasa.

Pour Kofi Annan, il est « essentiel » que « ces élections soient perçues par tous comme libres, ouvertes et transparentes ».

« Seule la création d'un climat de confiance et de sécurité favorisant la participation effective de tous les partis politiques permettra de renforcer la crédibilité du processus démocratique et de garantir une stabilité politique durable », a-t-il estimé.

Le Secrétaire général a déclaré qu'il faisait « confiance à la sagesse des autorités et de la population congolaise pour s'abstenir de tenir des propos haineux ou provocateurs ».

« Le peuple congolais a montré qu'il est déterminé à surmonter les divisions du passé et à bâtir un avenir commun. Les dirigeants politiques se doivent d'être à la hauteur de cette ambition en ne perdant jamais de vue, à aucune étape du processus électoral, l'intérêt supérieur de la nation », a-t-il affirmé.

Kofi Annan a souligné aussi l'importance du « contrôle effectif des ressources », de « la bonne gestion des entreprises publiques, du « paiement régulier et en toute transparence des fonctionnaires » pour faire des progrès « sur la voie du développement ».

« Un autre défi important que les nouvelles autorités auront à relever sera de restaurer l'autorité de l'État sur l'ensemble du territoire et de faire prévaloir l'état de droit, y compris par le renforcement du soutien du gouvernement aux administrations de proximité, pour qu'elles puissent fournir les services publics de base aux populations », a-t-il encore relevé.

Le Secrétaire général a aussi pensé « à la sécurisation des populations et à la stabilité de la région au-delà des élections ».

« C'est pourquoi je vous engage instamment à accélérer le processus de réforme du dispositif sécuritaire et la mise sur pied d'une armée et d'une police congolaise crédibles, professionnelles et intégrées », a-t-il expliqué.

« La réforme des forces armées et de la police doit s'accompagner, par ailleurs, d'une accélération et d'un renforcement du processus de désarmement, de démobilisation et de réintégration », a-t-il insisté.

Le Secrétaire général a enfin rappelé qu'il était indispensable de « rétablir rapidement des relations normalisées avec ses voisins ».

Les élections du 18 juin prochain marqueront la fin de la transition politique, initiée en janvier 2003, après cinq ans de guerre civile, impliquant six pays voisins et faisant 4 millions de morts.

Avec le Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD), la Mission de l'ONU en RDC (MONUC) apporte aux Congolais la plus grande assistance électorale jamais entreprise.

Quelque 25,7 millions de Congolais ont été enregistrés sur les listes électorales dans un pays qui fait la taille de l'Europe de l'Ouest et qui ne possède que quelques routes et des infrastructures de base (dépêche du 10.03.06).

Le Secrétaire général effectuait sa deuxième visite en RDC depuis le déploiement de la MONUC en 1999 (voir notre première dépêche du 21.03.06 et notre seconde).

Congo-Kinshasa: La RDC pourrait bénéficier du nouveau fonds d'urgence des Nations unies - Kofi Annan

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks | 22 Mars 2006 | Kinshasa

- Les centaines de personnes déplacées par les conflits au Katanga et dans d'autres régions de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) pourraient bientôt bénéficier du nouveau fonds d'urgence humanitaire des Nations unies qui devrait permettre à l'organisation de réagir plus rapidement aux crises, a déclaré le Secrétaire général des Nations unies Kofi Annan jeudi, à l'occasion de sa visite dans le pays.

« A l'heure actuelle, lorsque des crises surviennent, nous devons faire la quête auprès des Etats et attendre qu'ils veuillent bien répondre. Mais si nous avons de l'argent dans nos caisses, nous pourrons l'utiliser immédiatement, sauver davantage de vies et apporter de l'aide plus rapidement aux personnes qui en ont besoin », a-t-il déclaré à un journaliste à Kinshasa, qui lui demandait ce que comptaient faire les Nations unies pour remédier à la crise humanitaire au Katanga qui est le théâtre d'affrontements entre l'armée et les milices Maï-Maï.

Il a précisé que le Fonds d'urgence humanitaire mis en place le 9 janvier permettrait une action plus rapide que par le passé.

Doté d'un budget de 500 millions de dollars, le fonds central d'intervention humanitaire (CERF) vise à réagir « en temps voulu, de manière plus efficace et plus équitable, aux urgences humanitaires et de réduire ainsi les pertes en vies humaines », selon le centre de nouvelles de l'ONU.

A la date de mercredi, le Fonds avait reçu des engagements à hauteur de 254 millions de dollars. Selon le centre de nouvelles, les fonds requis seront disponibles sous trois ou quatre jours, contre quatre mois auparavant.

Annan a indiqué que la situation humanitaire au Congo méritait tout particulièrement une aide d'urgence. « Si vous regardez les chiffres et l'étendue des souffrances de façon cumulée, il y a probablement un tsunami dans ce pays tous les six mois en terme de morts et de mourants », a-t-il dit.

« Bien entendu, les Congolais devront coopérer avec nous, en sécurisant toutes les parties du pays de manière à ce que nous ayons accès aux personnes qui ont besoin d'assistance », a-t-il ajouté.

Anna s'exprimait au cours d'un séjour de deux semaines en Afrique qui l'a mené en Afrique du Sud, à Madagascar, puis au Congo Brazzaville.

New antimalarial drug launched in Kenya