Burundi: En bref ce 26 MAI 2006 ...

LE BURUNDI CHERCHE A ACQUERIR LA CARTE MINIERE DU BURUNDI CONSERVEE AU ROYAUME DE BELGIQUE
Bujumbura, le 26 Mai 2006 (RTNB)-Depuis quelques temps, il y a une opinion qui pense que le Burundi regorgerait de richesses minières fabuleuses qui seraient la racine de la zizanie ethnique au Burundi. La carte géologique et minière qui atteste cette affirmation serait conservée au Royaume de Belgique. Le ministre de l'énergie et des mines, monsieur Herman Tuyaga a déclaré à la presse ce jeudi 25 mai 2006 que les démarches de vérification sont déjà entreprises auprès des autorités belges.

Le Gouvernement du Burundi et l’ONU s’accordent sur les bases de leur future collaboration après l’ONUB
vendredi 26 mai 2006. http://www.burundi-info.com
Au terme de la visite de la délégation conduite par Monsieur Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, Sous-secrétaire Général, Administrateur Assistant du Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement (PNUD) et Directeur de son Bureau Régional pour l’Afrique, les autorités burundaises et leurs homologues des Nations Unies ont co-signé un document consacrant les résolutions des consultations qu’elles ont eues durant ces quatre derniers jours.

Le document qui reconnaît « la nécessité urgente d’appuyer les efforts du Gouvernement » engage les Nations Unies à « apporter leur soutien au Burundi dans le cadre d’une mission intégrée. » Le document stipule également en son alinéa 3 que « les deux délégations mandatées par le Gouvernement du Burundi et les Nations Unies ont examiné la mise en place d’un nouveau mécanisme de coopération après le départ définitif de l’Opération des Nations Unies au Burundi (ONUB) fixé au 31 décembre 2006. » Il poursuit qu’ « au cours des consultations, le Gouvernement du Burundi a exprimé l’intérêt évident d’être appuyé par les Nations Unies pour la reconstruction et le développement en vue de la consolidation de la paix. »

Les Nations Unies devront alors appuyer le Gouvernement burundais dans cinq domaines essentiels, à savoir : (i) la Paix et la Gouvernance Démocratique ; (ii) la Poursuite des Réformes du Secteur de Sécurité et du Désarmement, Démobilisation et Réintégration (DDR), ainsi que celle du Désarmement de la Population Civile ; (iii) les Droits Humains et la Poursuite des Réformes du Secteur Judiciaire et Pénitentiaire, et la Mise en Place de Mécanismes de Justice de Transition ; (iv) l’Information et la Communication ; et (v) la Reconstruction et le Développement Socio-économique.

La future collaboration entre l’Etat burundais et les Nations Unies aura pour « objectif suprême (...) la différence que nous faisons au niveau de nos enfants, de nos sœurs, de nos frères et de nos parents, dans leur développement humain durable. La capacité à s’exprimer, la capacité à marcher dans les rues sans avoir la crainte d’être attaqué ou d’être violé dans ses droits, la capacité aussi à assumer son propre développement socio-économique, » a expliqué le Sous-secrétaire Général. « C’est dire que le travail est énorme, et je tiens encore à réitérer la disposition, la disponibilité du Système des Nations Unies à travailler main dans la main avec les autorités dans le cadre strict du respect de l’appropriation nationale, » a-t-il ajouté.

Répondant aux propos de Monsieur Houngbo, le Ministre de l’Information, Communication, Relations avec le Parlement et Porte-parole du Gouvernement qui présidait les travaux, a affirmé pour sa part que « nous avons tous compris que la population burundaise mérite à juste titre (...) de profiter de ces dividendes de la paix retrouvée au Burundi. » Puis, avant de déclarer clos les travaux de cette rencontre, il a exprimé « l’espoir que la conjugaison de nos efforts (...) nous conduira à la réussite de cette œuvre commune pour l’intérêt de notre pays et de notre peuple. »

LE PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE RECOIT EN AUDIENCE LE SOUS-SECRETAIRE GENERAL DES NATIONS UNIES ET ADMINISTRATEUR ASSISTANT DU PNUD AVANT QUE CELUI-CI NE TERMINE SA VISITE DE QUATRE JOURS AU BURUNDI
Bujumbura, le 26 Mai 2006 (RTNB)-Le président de la République, monsieur Pierre Nkurunziza a reçu en audience ce jeudi 25 mai 2006 le sous-secrétaire général des Nations Unies et administrateur assistant du PNUD, monsieur Gilbert Houngbo. A l'issue de l'audience monsieur Gilbert Houngbo, a déclaré à la presse que les discussions avec le président de la République et la délégation onusienne s'est focalisée sur les travaux de la commission conjointe de la délégation du gouvernement et des Nations Unies en vue d'établir les directions stratégiques sur lesquelles les Nations Unies vont s'orienter pour aider le Burundi au terme du mandat de l'Opération des Nations Unies au Burundi. L'administrateur assistant du PNUD, monsieur Houngbo a déclaré que plusieurs dimensions vont requérir l'attention des deux parties et que la consolidation de la paix et les aspects socio-économiques sont prioritaires dans une phase de post-conflit. Il faudrait ajouter que la délégation des Nations-Unies conduite par Houngbo a quitté Bujumbura pour New York ce jeudi 25 mai 2006 à l'issue de quatre jours de visite au Burundi.

Burundi, rebels to start peace talks Monday
Fri 26 May 2006 By Patrick Nduwimana

BUJUMBURA, May 26 (Reuters) - Burundi's government and its last rebel group both said on Friday they will sit down in Tanzania next week for long-delayed talks aimed at removing the final major barrier to peace in the central African nation.

The Hutu Forces for National Liberation (FNL) said they will accept a South African mediator, dropping a main objection in earlier talks that led neighbouring Tanzania to take that role behind the scenes.

The negotiations are due to begin on Monday in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam. However, both sides already appeared divided on what they would discuss.

The government, in a position backed by African governments and the international community, said the FNL must follow Burundi's U.N.-backed peace plan to end 12 years of civil war that killed 300,000 people in cycles of ethnic conflict.

"We don't want to waste time. The government' s position is to see how the FNL can integrate into the army and the police," Burundi presidential spokeswoman Afsa Mosi said.

"It is not a question of discussing the constitution or other peace deals on which the Burundian people have already agreed."

New President Pierre Nkurunziza, a former Hutu rebel leader, was elected in August under the peace plan, viewed as a homegrown African success story in bringing stability to the coffee- and tea-growing nation of 7 million.

Burundi's army continues to hunt the FNL despite their peace overtures, and last week killed 10 rebels in helicopter raids on the remote Kibira forest in northwest Burundi.

The rebels said they would not have any position imposed on them.

"Our movement has never asked to integrate in the army or the police. We must sit down together and discuss why Hutus and Tutsis have killed one another and see what could be a good future for both ethnic groups," FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana told Reuters by telephone from Dar es Salaam.

FNL leader Agathon Rwasa and his top deputies have been in Dar es Salaam for nearly three months.

Mosi said the government would also talk to an FNL dissident group led by Jean Bosco Sindayigaya, former deputy chairman to Rwasa who resigned from the FNL in 2001 after a falling-out.

"We think the government should drop this joke and come to serious matters. If Sindayigaya comes in talks, we will consider him as a member of the government's delegation," Habimana said.

LES NEGOCIATIONS ENTRE LE GOUVERNEMENT ET LE MOUVEMENT REBELLE FNL-PALIPEHUTU VONT COMMENCER LE LUNDI 29 MAI 2006 A DAR-ES-SALAAM ASSURE LE PORTE-PAROLE DU PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE

Bujumbura, le 26 Mai 2006 (RTNB)-Les négociations entre le gouvernement et le mouvement rebelle FNL/Palipehutu aile d'Agathon Rwasa vont commencer depuis ce lundi 29 mai 2006 à Dar-es-salaam en Tanzanie selon l'envoyé spécial du médiateur sud-africain qui l'a déclaré ce jeudi 25 mai 2006 à l'issue de l'audience qu'il venait d'avoir auprès du président de la République, monsieur Pierre Nkurunziza. Cette nouvelle a été confirmée par le porte-parole du président de la République, madame Hafsa Mossi. L'envoyé du nouveau médiateur sud-africain a demandé au gouvernement du Burundi d'envoyer sa délégation à Dar-es-salaam pour participer au lancement des négociations du mouvement FNL-Palipehutu avec le gouvernement du Burundi. L'association dénommée " The Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace-Amani Forum " a sorti un communiqué de presse dans lequel il se félicite de la reprise des négociations de paix entre le gouvernement du Burundi et le mouvement rebelle FNL/Palipehutu d'Agathon Rwasa.

MADAME ALICE NGANDANKAZI UN DES TROIS MILITANTS DE L'ORGANISATION DE LA RESTAURANTION DU DROIT JETES A LA PRISON DE GITEGA A ETE LIBEREE SOUS CAUTION

Bujumbura, le 26 Mai 2006 (RTNB)-Madame Ngendankazi, un des trois militants de l'organisation de la restauration du droit détenus à la prison centrale de la province de Gitega à la suite de leurs arrestations le samedi 21 mai 2006 au moment ils étaient entrain de commémorer le massacre des Barundi innocents le 21 octobre 1993, a été liberée sous caution. Le président de l'Ac Génocide, monsieur Venant Bamboneyeho a déclaré ce jeudi 25 mai 2006 au cours d'une conférence de presse que les deux militants qui restent en détention à la prison de Gitega sont injustement détenus, parce que la réunion qu'ils avaient organisé était légale parce qu'ils avaient demandé préalablement la permission de l'administration officielle de Gitega et a demandé en l'occurrence au gouvernement de libérer les deux prisonniers. Il faudrait signaler que les prisonniers en question sont monsieur Poppon Mudugu, l'époux de madame Alice Ngendanzi et de monsieur Tatien Sibomana.

Date: 25 May 2006
Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

BUJUMBURA, le 25 mai (IRIN) - Les inondations provoquées par les pluies diluviennes qui se sont abattues sur la province de Bururi, au sud du Burundi, ont fait près de 5 000 sans-abri, a indiqué lundi le Gouverneur de la province, Véronique Nizigama.

Dans la commune de Muheka, les pluies de la semaine dernière ont fait un mort, inondé 206 maisons et détruit de nombreuses plantations.

Pour l’instant, les déplacés n’ont reçu aucune aide et sont hébergés par des familles vivant dans des zones moins touchées par les inondations, a indiqué Mme Nizigama.

Le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’enfance (UNICEF) a été sollicité pour fournir des tentes, mais l’organisation n’a pas encore répondu à la demande du gouverneur qui a également demandé l’assistance du ministère de la Solidarité nationale, de droits de l’homme et du genre.

Mais pour Stella Budiriganya, chargée de communication au ministère de la Solidarité nationale, le ministère ne peut fournir une aide aux déplacés de Muheka puisque les inondations ont fait beaucoup d’autres sinistrés dans le pays.

« Des équipes ont été dépêchées sur le terrain pour évaluer l’ampleur des dégâts et nous attendons leur rapport pour avoir une idée du nombre de sinistrés et cerner leurs besoins immédiats », a déclaré Mme Budiriganya.

Selon Isidore Nteturuye, chargé d’information au Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM), l’agence aidera les déplacés de Muheka et toutes les autres personnes vulnérables que les autorités locales inscriront sur la liste des bénéficiaires ciblés.

Les pluies ont cessé à Muheka. Les habitants sont revenus dans la ville et devront reconstruire leur maison. Les autorités de la ville envisagent de trouver un site provisoire pour héberger les sinistrés en attendant la reconstruction des maisons.

La culture dans les marais, comme la pratique généralement les habitants de la région à cette période de l’année, sera difficile cette année, en raison des inondations. Le ministère de l’Agriculture a donc promis de fournir des graines aux sinistrés.

Les pluies ont commencé à causer des dégâts à la mi-avril et ont provoqué des glissements de terrain dans plusieurs provinces. Dans la province centrale de Muramvya, onze personnes sont mortes, 1 800 hectares de culture ont été ravagés et au moins 200 maisons ont été détruites. De même, près de 60 pour cent des cultures potagères ont été détruites.

Lors de la rencontre qu’ils ont eu samedi dernier avec le Président Pierre Nkurunziza dans la province de Karuzi, les gouverneurs de province ont affirmé que les pluies ont fait 20 morts dans le pays.

Les pluies avaient laissé augurer de bonnes récoltes, après la crise alimentaire liée à la sécheresse qui a frappé plusieurs provinces du Burundi. Fin 2005, le gouvernement avait décrété l’état de famine dans cinq provinces du nord, de l’est et du sud-est.

Aujourd’hui, les pluies diluviennes risquent de compromettre les chances d’une bonne récolte, car dans certaines provinces, des cultures comme le haricot - qui étaient encore au stade la floraison - ont été détruites.

Congo-Kinshasa: Refugees Determined to Remain in Bujumbura, Despite Hardship

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks May 26, 2006
Bujumbura

Over the past 25 years, some 18,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have made their home in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Some left their country more than 20 years ago to escape persecution during the administration of the late Congolese president, Mobutu Sese Seko; others fled more recent conflict between the DRC army and rebel groups in the northeast of the country.

Regardless of the circumstances that led them to Bujumbura, the refugees share a determination to remain in the city, despite the difficulties they are enduring.

The refugees in Bujumbura fall into three categories: the largest group are of mixed ethnicity and comprise those who refused to be placed in refugee camps; the second group are of Tutsi origin, known as Banyamulenge, who have settled at an informal site at Ngagara, north of Bujumbura; and the third group are students - 32 boys and 17 girls - who attend secondary school in the capital while their parents remain in refugee transit camps.

Mibulano Safari, a Congolese woman in her mid-30s, falls within the first category. She fled South Kivu Province, in eastern DRC, in 1980 to escape persecution from the Mobutu administration and has known no other life but that of a refugee. She fled with her parents but now resides with her seven children in Buyenzi, one of the poorest suburbs of Bujumbura.

From a distance, nothing distinguishes Safari's home from others nearby; most of them are covered with rusting iron sheets, weighed down by stones to prevent them from falling or blowing away in the wind. Upon entering the building, one is struck by the sparse household items dotting the room: a stool here, a stove there and, in a corner, a bed. The house initially had two rooms, but the dividing wall collapsed due to heavy rains. No one has replaced it; despite the 10,000 Burundian francs (US$10) Safari pays every month in rent.

To survive, Safari has turned her home into a makeshift hairdressing salon. As she prepared to braid a customer's hair, she said: "I will get 500 francs [US 50 cents], but sometimes I get more. It depends on the style. That is my means of livelihood, if you can call this a living."

To make ends meet, Safari needs at least five clients a day. "Supposing I am lucky enough to get them - with all the family chores, shall I be able to handle them?" she said.

Hard life

Refugees who live outside camps are not entitled to direct aid from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, as they are assumed capable of providing for themselves.

The UNHR has confirmed this. "On government request, the assistance is provided to refugees in camps," Catherine-Lune Grayson, the agency's public relations officer in Bujumbura, said.

Burundi granted Safari refugee status in 1980 but she said: "The status is like an identity card, which allows me to move around in the host country, nothing more."

She would like to get food aid, school material for her children and healthcare for her family. "If they [aid agencies] cannot assist me, why don't they resettle me in another country?" she said.

Simon Nkubana, the head of Ngagara site for Banyamulenge refugees in the north of the city, has similar complaints. "We are refugees only in name," he said. "Since 2001, the assistance was cut. They [the government and UNHCR] accuse us of refusing to be moved to Gasorwe [in northeastern Burundi], but it is not our fault if people there refused us. Don't you remember their letter [from Gasorwe residents] saying they cannot accept Congolese refugees?"

Congolese refugees at Ngagara live in small tents, surrounded by the cow sheds of their Burundian neighbours, which makes the smell of cow dung sometimes unbearable, especially during the rainy season. Nkubana said each day at the site was a challenge.

"We offer our services to Burundians. Women sell soaps, peanuts or salt, but we mainly live on charity from church organisations or people of good will," he said.

Medical aid
Even though they do not receive direct aid from UNHCR, the refugees - especially the most vulnerable - benefit from medical aid.

Violaine Fourile, head of the Jesuit Refugees Services (JRS), through which the UNHCR channels its aid to urban refugees, said three health centres in Bujumbura offered medical services to refugees, all of whom were entitled to healthcare. Since the beginning of 2006, however, the refugees have been required to pay 50 percent of their medical costs, which for many is prohibitively expensive. The measure has prompted refugee allegations that they are being deprived of their right to healthcare.

"Where do they want us to get the money from? By the time you get it, you will be dead," Safari said.

Congo-Kinshasa: Refugees Determined to Remain in Bujumbura, Despite Hardship

Fourile said medical services remained free for the most vulnerable refugees, including those who are disabled, elderly or orphaned. She added that difficult cases were often transferred to the Bujumbura University Hospital, where refugees were also treated free of charge.

The JRS also receives money from UNHCR to assist a small number of the urban refugees identified as the most vulnerable. These include orphans, the older people who care for orphans, single mothers and the disabled. The beneficiaries are given resources to start income-generating activities; others receive food or money.

In 2005, Fourile said, only 42 refugees benefited from the income-generating-activities programme, which allowed them to invest in small businesses such as restaurants, sewing or fishing. She said 60 others were now receiving food aid - mainly milk for children or food for those requiring a special diet. Twenty-five other vulnerable refugees - most of whom survived a massacre in August 2004 at the Gatumba Transit Centre on the DRC-Burundi border and are now physically or mentally disabled - were receiving financial aid.

Aid to students

The JRS also organises training for students to catch up with schoolwork, especially those at the primary school level. Two groups of secondary-school students live in Bujumbura under the care of JRS, which gives them food, school materials and accommodation. Their parents live in refugee camps in the province of Mwaro (in central Burundi) or Muyinga in the northeast. These students go back to the refugee camps during holidays.

Masasi Bazira, 20, is one of the schoolboys who live in Bwiza, a suburb of Bujumbura. Attending school in Bujumbura has been the chance of his life. "We have skilled teachers and study in good conditions," he said.

Still, life is far from perfect. "With no telephone, radio or TV set, we are cut off from the world. Yet, when we ask for something, they tell us even Burundian children do not have that," he added.

Other students complained they lack adequate clothing, as their parents are too poor to provide.

Despite their poor living conditions, the refugees have been steadfast in their refusal to move to refugee camps, where most of their needs would be met by UNHCR and other aid agencies.

"My sister is at Gasorwe," Safari said. "She complains all the time. If they were well treated, we could also go."

Nkubana said he would rather wait in Bujumbura for the security situation to improve in the DRC and then return home.

Fourile said the refugees would prefer to be resettled in another country. Grayson, however, said refugees are resettled in another country only under exceptional circumstances.

"The norm is that refugees stay in the first host country, especially if the security is assured," she said.

It looks like for now, the refugees are staying put, as none of those questioned complained about security. In fact, Nkubana said security was the only thing the Burundi government guaranteed refugees at the Ngagara site.

BURUNDI-DRC: Refugees determined to remain in Bujumbura, despite hardship
26 May 2006 Source: IRIN
More BUJUMBURA, 26 May (IRIN) - Over the past 25 years, some 18,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have made their home in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Some left their country more than 20 years ago to escape persecution during the administration of the late Congolese president, Mobutu Sese Seko; others fled more recent conflict between the DRC army and rebel groups in the northeast of the country.

Regardless of the circumstances that led them to Bujumbura, the refugees share a determination to remain in the city, despite the difficulties they are enduring.

The refugees in Bujumbura fall into three categories: the largest group are of mixed ethnicity and comprise those who refused to be placed in refugee camps; the second group are of Tutsi origin, known as Banyamulenge, who have settled at an informal site at Ngagara, north of Bujumbura; and the third group are students - 32 boys and 17 girls - who attend secondary school in the capital while their parents remain in refugee transit camps.

Mibulano Safari, a Congolese woman in her mid-30s, falls within the first category. She fled South Kivu Province, in eastern DRC, in 1980 to escape persecution from the Mobutu administration and has known no other life but that of a refugee. She fled with her parents but now resides with her seven children in Buyenzi, one of the poorest suburbs of Bujumbura.

From a distance, nothing distinguishes Safari's home from others nearby; most of them are covered with rusting iron sheets, weighed down by stones to prevent them from falling or blowing away in the wind. Upon entering the building, one is struck by the sparse household items dotting the room: a stool here, a stove there and, in a corner, a bed. The house initially had two rooms, but the dividing wall collapsed due to heavy rains. No one has replaced it; despite the 10,000 Burundian francs (US$10) Safari pays every month in rent.

To survive, Safari has turned her home into a makeshift hairdressing salon. As she prepared to braid a customer's hair, she said: "I will get 500 francs [US 50 cents], but sometimes I get more. It depends on the style. That is my means of livelihood, if you can call this a living."

To make ends meet, Safari needs at least five clients a day. "Supposing I am lucky enough to get them - with all the family chores, shall I be able to handle them?" she said.

Hard life

Refugees who live outside camps are not entitled to direct aid from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, as they are assumed capable of providing for themselves.

The UNHR has confirmed this. "On government request, the assistance is provided to refugees in camps," Catherine-Lune Grayson, the agency's public relations officer in Bujumbura, said.

Burundi granted Safari refugee status in 1980 but she said: "The status is like an identity card, which allows me to move around in the host country, nothing more."

She would like to get food aid, school material for her children and healthcare for her family. "If they [aid agencies] cannot assist me, why don't they resettle me in another country?" she said.

Simon Nkubana, the head of Ngagara site for Banyamulenge refugees in the north of the city, has similar complaints. "We are refugees only in name," he said. "Since 2001, the assistance was cut. They [the government and UNHCR] accuse us of refusing to be moved to Gasorwe [in northeastern Burundi], but it is not our fault if people there refused us. Don't you remember their letter [from Gasorwe residents] saying they cannot accept Congolese refugees?"

Congolese refugees at Ngagara live in small tents, surrounded by the cow sheds of their Burundian neighbours, which makes the smell of cow dung sometimes unbearable, especially during the rainy season. Nkubana said each day at the site was a challenge.

"We offer our services to Burundians. Women sell soaps, peanuts or salt, but we mainly live on charity from church organisations or people of good will," he said.

Medical aid

Even though they do not receive direct aid from UNHCR, the refugees - especially the most vulnerable - benefit from medical aid.

Violaine Fourile, head of the Jesuit Refugees Services (JRS), through which the UNHCR channels its aid to urban refugees, said three health centres in Bujumbura offered medical services to refugees, all of whom were entitled to healthcare. Since the beginning of 2006, however, the refugees have been required to pay 50 percent of their medical costs, which for many is prohibitively expensive. The measure has prompted refugee allegations that they are being deprived of their right to healthcare.

"Where do they want us to get the money from? By the time you get it, you will be dead," Safari said.

Fourile said medical services remained free for the most vulnerable refugees, including those who are disabled, elderly or orphaned. She added that difficult cases were often transferred to the Bujumbura University Hospital, where refugees were also treated free of charge.

The JRS also receives money from UNHCR to assist a small number of the urban refugees identified as the most vulnerable. These include orphans, the older people who care for orphans, single mothers and the disabled. The beneficiaries are given resources to start income-generating activities; others receive food or money.

In 2005, Fourile said, only 42 refugees benefited from the income-generating-activities programme, which allowed them to invest in small businesses such as restaurants, sewing or fishing. She said 60 others were now receiving food aid - mainly milk for children or food for those requiring a special diet. Twenty-five other vulnerable refugees - most of whom survived a massacre in August 2004 at the Gatumba Transit Centre on the DRC-Burundi border and are now physically or mentally disabled - were receiving financial aid.

Aid to students

The JRS also organises training for students to catch up with schoolwork, especially those at the primary school level. Two groups of secondary-school students live in Bujumbura under the care of JRS, which gives them food, school materials and accommodation. Their parents live in refugee camps in the province of Mwaro (in central Burundi) or Muyinga in the northeast. These students go back to the refugee camps during holidays.

Masasi Bazira, 20, is one of the schoolboys who live in Bwiza, a suburb of Bujumbura. Attending school in Bujumbura has been the chance of his life. "We have skilled teachers and study in good conditions," he said.

Still, life is far from perfect. "With no telephone, radio or TV set, we are cut off from the world. Yet, when we ask for something, they tell us even Burundian children do not have that," he added.

Other students complained they lack adequate clothing, as their parents are too poor to provide.

Despite their poor living conditions, the refugees have been steadfast in their refusal to move to refugee camps, where most of their needs would be met by UNHCR and other aid agencies.

"My sister is at Gasorwe," Safari said. "She complains all the time. If they were well treated, we could also go."

Nkubana said he would rather wait in Bujumbura for the security situation to improve in the DRC and then return home.

Fourile said the refugees would prefer to be resettled in another country. Grayson, however, said refugees are resettled in another country only under exceptional circumstances.

"The norm is that refugees stay in the first host country, especially if the security is assured," she said.

It looks like for now, the refugees are staying put, as none of those questioned complained about security. In fact, Nkubana said security was the only thing the Burundi government guaranteed refugees at the Ngagara site.

LES CHRETIENS DU BURUNDI SE SONT JOINTS AUX CHRETIENS DU MONDE ENTIER POUR CELEBRER L'ASCENSION DU CHRIST
Bujumbura, le 26 Mai 2006 (RTNB)-Les chrétiens du Burundi à l'instar des chrétiens du monde entier ont célébré l'Ascension du Christ au ciel quarante jours après sa résurrection. L'abbé Astère Kana a suggéré que les Barundi devraient saisir cette opportunité pour penser au passé en vue d'améliorer leur futur. L'abbé Kana a déclaré que les Barundi qui sont entrain de déposer leurs armes avec le programme de désarmement devraient désarmer leurs esprits des péchés. L'abbé Kana a déclaré également que les Barundi devraient se réconcilier et se préparer au retour de Jésus Christ sur terre afin de monter avec lui au ciel et cela après avoir respecté les dix commandements de Dieu.

Les États-Unis solidaires du Rwanda dans la lutte contre le sida
Le ministère américain de la défense prend part à un nouveau programme visant la prévention et les soins.

Par Jim Fisher-Thompson Correspondant du « Washington File »

http://usinfo.state.gov

Kigali (Rwanda) - 25 mai 2006 Grâce à l'aide offerte dans le cadre du Plan présidentiel d'aide d'urgence à la lutte contre le sida (PEPFAR), l'armée rwandaise, réputée pour son efficacité, sa discipline et la façon dont elle traite ses soldats, va étoffer ses programmes visant la prévention et le traitement du VIH/sida destinés aux soldats et aux civils.

Depuis le premier diagnostic du VIH/sida, au début des années 1980, 23 millions de personnes en sont mortes, pour la plupart en Afrique.

Bien que la guerre et le génocide l'aient dévasté, le Rwanda a réussi à faire face au sida et le taux de prévalence, dans ce pays, se situe en-dessous de 4 %, l'un des plus bas d'Afrique.

En 2003, déclarant que les États-Unis ne pouvaient vraiment être en sécurité tant qu'on laisserait les pays en développement se battre seuls contre le sida, le président Bush annonçait le lancement du PEPFAR, un plan ambitieux portant sur 15 milliards de dollars, qui cible une douzaine de pays, dont un grand nombre en Afrique.

Avant de se rendre au Sommet du G8 à Gleneagles (Ecosse), M. Bush avait déclaré : « Nous faisons en sorte qu'un traitement salutaire soit prodigué à plus de 230.000 adultes et enfants en Afrique. Nous sommes déterminés à atteindre notre objectif sur cinq ans qui est de soigner 2 millions de personnes », soulignant l'importance que revêtait un partenariat entre les États-Unis et les pays bénéficiant du PEPFAR pour assurer la réussite du programme.

Chargé du bon déroulement des projets mis en œuvre par les militaires rwandais dans le cadre du PEPFAR, qui bénéficient d'un financement de 1,6 million de dollars, le lieutenant colonel John Ruffing, attaché du ministère de la défense auprès de l'ambassade des États-Unis à Kigali, a déclaré : « Le PEPFAR est un bon programme car il permet aux Rwandais d'assumer la responsabilité des projets qu'ils mettent en œuvre, et récemment, ils en ont même expliqué les grandes lignes à des médecins du Burundi. »

Lors d'une visite de l'hôpital militaire Kanombe à Kigali, son directeur, le docteur Charles Murego, un médecin civil, s'est déclaré satisfait du partenariat entre le Rwanda et les États-Unis afin de lutter contre le sida, en particulier de l'élément « prévention » du programme mis sur pied par les militaires rwandais, qui vise le changement des comportements à risque, qui comprennent, entre autres, le refus d'utiliser des préservatifs, la consommation d'alcool conjuguée aux relations sexuelles, et la fréquentation de prostitués.

« La plupart des soldats sont des hommes jeunes, et l'alcool est un danger pour eux, car ils oublient de prendre des précautions », a expliqué le docteur Murego.

L'organisation « Population Services International » (PSI), chargée de l'élément « prévention » du PEPFAR, s'efforce d'informer les soldats rwandais à propos du VIH/sida et de la façon de s'en protéger et a recours à des outils novateurs à cette fin. Elle a créé des clubs « anti-sida » dans chaque brigade pour tirer le meilleur parti possible de l'entraide mutuelle. Elle envisage d'organiser régulièrement des matchs de sport, de monter des pièces de théâtre et d'organiser des concerts portant sur la lutte contre le sida afin d'appuyer l'adhésion des membres des clubs aux rudiments de la prévention du sida, à savoir continence, fidélité et utilisation appropriée des préservatifs.

Le docteur Murego s'est aussi déclaré vivement intéressé par la participation de l'université Drew, du New Jersey, au volet « soins » du projet, qui a commencé il y a peu de temps et qui pourrait appuyer les soins prodigués à ses patients militaires et aux membres des familles et aux civils qui contracteraient la maladie.

« J'aimerais surtout avoir du matériel de diagnostic et des laboratoires plus modernes », a-t-il expliqué, ajoutant qu'à l'heure actuelle, les tests demandaient trop de temps et que s'il avait du matériel de laboratoire plus sophistiqué, il lui serait plus facile d'adapter la combinaison de médicaments antirétroviraux à chaque malade et de mieux prendre en compte les besoins et les niveaux de tolérance des traitements.

UGANDA

Wanted rebel leader in Uganda makes public appearance
PM - Friday, 26 May , 2006 Reporter: Zoe Daniel
MARK COLVIN: The leader of Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army has made a rare media appearance, claiming that he wants peace.

Joseph Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for rape, murder, looting and the abduction of children who've been forced to fight for the LRA during a brutal 20-year war in Northern Uganda.

He's appeared on a DVD in a meeting with Southern Sudan's former warlord, now Vice-President, Riek Machar.

It's the first time the Lord's Resistance Army leader has appeared publicly for a number of years.

Africa Correspondent Zoe Daniel reports.

ZOE DANIEL: Joseph Kony is on the run.

Since being indicted by the International Criminal Court for kidnapping, mutilation and murder, he's been hiding out in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It's unclear where his statements were recorded, but he claims to want peace.

JOSEPH KONY: I want peace, that is why I was in the bush. I want peace. I'm fighting for peace.

ZOE DANIEL: Joseph Kony was filmed meeting with the former warlord, now Vice-President of Southern Sudan, Riek Machar, who handed him $US 20,000 in cash.

The LRA remains active in Southern Sudan and it's disrupting the implementation of a peace deal between that country's North and South.

Riek Machar says the money is to fund the transition to peace, not to buy weapons.

RIEK MACHAR: We don't see a reason to fight you. There's no reason. You have your case, with your government, the only thing we can do is assist you to reach an agreement.

ZOE DANIEL: The war in Northern Uganda is one of the world's bloodiest conflicts.

Joseph Kony is a former altar boy who professes to be a mystic and aspires to run Uganda according to the Ten Commandments.

Yet he and his followers have perpetrated unspeakable acts of violence for 20 years. They're most notorious for cutting off the lips of their victims and abducting sleeping children from their beds to make them child soldiers.

Yet Joseph Kony claims he's the misunderstood victim of government propaganda.

JOSEPH KONY: Most of people, they don't know me, they don't know who is Kony. They don't even my political agenda. Because I was in the bush, I'm a rebel, and Museveni is the government, so you know very well that Museveni is working with very many means, very, very, very, very many ways to fight me - propaganda, (inaudible), they did many things.

ZOE DANIEL: Joseph Kony's appearance follows an offer last week from the Ugandan Government to allow him safe asylum if he agrees to peace.

The offer drew a sharp response from the International Criminal Court, which says the Government must hand him over for prosecution and can't make deals.

But the Vice-President of Southern Sudan, Riek Machar, has offered to negotiate the deal on behalf of the Ugandan Government, and he won't stand for international interference.

RIEK MACHAR: We know your difficulties, we know your difficulties with the ICC, which has given an indictment for you to be arrested. This we know. But we as people of Sudan and we as government of Southern Sudan say this is the view, our view is different, we want peace in Northern Uganda.

ZOE DANIEL: Joseph Kony has agreed to stop the fighting in Southern Sudan. The two million displaced people in Northern Uganda can only hope that's the first step towards peace.

Uganda’s welfare should be utmost
Thursday, 25th May, 2006 By Eva Mwine
www.newvision.co.ug
CREDIT must be given where it is due. Jimmy Akena (Obote Junior) just has to be NRM’s latest prize bull and a glowing medal on the democratic mantlepiece of this country. There is immense redemptive power in Akena’s choice to participate in politics under the regime of President Museveni and the NRM.

His victory is a victory for all of Uganda and regardless of his political views, his involvement is a highly significant manifestation of a fundamentally changed national character.

Although the recent electoral process painted a picture of a politically maturer Uganda, there is strong negative energy threatening to draw us back, the strongest of which is coming from the leadership of the opposition.

Against all cautionary advice, the opposition refused to concede electoral defeat and instead chose to continue to hold captive the country’s train of thought by dragging us along as they wallowed in the muddy waters of poll result denial.

The February election, despite whatever reservations some may have, scored an impressive high on the global ratings of what constitutes a free and fair election in a young democracy.

The opposition’s post-election inflammatory rhetoric is characteristic of dented political egos and aborted agendas. It is grossly disproportionate to the current public interest.

By keeping the country immersed in a labyrinth of useless talk (of falling governments and crippling mass demonstrations), the leadership of the opposition is being unfair and not operating in the best interest of Uganda.
It is time they got into the straight jacket of rationality and entered into a more beneficial allegiance with the people whose interests they claim to be championing.

If the wind beneath their wings is the wind of genuine patriotism, it is time to take off the electoral armour and for the next five years, wear the robes of a responsible nation-building opposition.
They are duty-bound, as the official opposition under a multi-party dispensation, to get in sync with the tempo of the season.

Uganda must be allowed to re-focus the national gaze from parochial politics to other crucial issues such as the economics of the East African federation.

We are going to the party, but are we really ready to dance? The opposition should, for example, be challenging Government to develop and disseminate a national blueprint to walk Uganda into the federation.

Whether or not they are in agreement with the federation project is irrelevant because it is now officially our destination and the regional agenda.

In the event that the opposition continues to be consumed by the passions of personal and party aspirations, the onus is upon us wananchi to turn a deaf ear to the derailing public discourse; get wise and get ready to federate.

We need to draw more on our creative potential as a people, we desperately need to raise the standards of our work ethics and improve on professionalism in the business sector.

As stakeholders in the enterprise called Uganda, we are calling upon the new cabinet to raise the standard of public accountability so that government business is premised around a winning national agenda and nothing else.

But most importantly, we must categorically refuse, as citizens of Uganda, to become the pawns of ruthless political players in the opposition.

As Michael Heseltine once said, “Every generation has its wreckers. But our faith has always told us that you cannot sow seeds of discontent on a stable society.

“They can only flourish if they find fertile ground. Our politics and policies must deny that fertile ground.”

Israel, Tanzania pledge to strengthen bilateral relations

May 26, 2006 Source : Guardian By ANDnetwork .com

Tanzania and Israel are committed to strengthening their bilateral relations for the welfare of the people of the two nations.

Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Mary Nagu and Emannuel Seri the Israel ambassador to Tanzania, based in Nairobi Kenya, made the declaration during the commemoration of the 58th anniversary of Israel’s independence held in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

Minister Nagu said the current relations between the two countries are very good, adding that the fourth phase government was committed to enhanced relations between the two.

’Tanzania and Israel enjoy excellent bilateral relations our two countries are long time partners in building the spirit of self-reliance,’ Nagu said.

She said Tanzania has always valued the Israel approach to self-reliance process, adding that the Israel spirit has been an inspiration to Tanzania.

’The two countries have to strive to expand areas of co-operation to mutual advantage. We must do so to expand our co-operation notably in the agricultural field,’ Nagu said.

She said there were experts from Israel who have assisted the country in its struggle against poverty.

’Israel is also providing Tanzanians with educational chances we are very pleased with this support,’ the minister said.

She said the people of Israel have something to learn from Tanzania on how to cherish peace.

’It is obvious that we are being supported by Israel in most development activities. They too, have to learn from us on how to maintain peace among the populations of various ethnic groups,’ she said.

In an exclusive interview, the Israel ambassador said that every year, his country provides scholarship opportunities to about 15 Tanzanians.

’We offer about 15 opportunities to Tanzanians to study in Israel every year we also have some experts in agriculture, hi-tech and information technology who work here in Tanzania,’ envoy Seri said, pledging continual support to Tanzania’s efforts to eradicate poverty.

DRC: South African institute discounts "coup plot" theory following arrests

JOHANNESBURG, 26 May (IRIN) - The South African-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has ruled out chances that the men arrested and identified as foreign mercenaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were plotting a coup or planning to destabilise the country ahead of 30 July elections.

Security agents in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, arrested 32 foreigners on Tuesday: three Americans, 10 Nigerian passport holders and 19 South African passport holders. They were arrested on charges of plotting to destabilise the country. Ten local opposition presidential candidates were also arrested in connection with the alleged plot.

All the South Africans were employees of Omega International Association, a company the DRC government contracted to train harbour personnel. According to DRC government spokesman Henri-Mova Sakanyi, state security agents, who arrested the men, also found documentary links to a coup plot in their apartments.

"About 32 persons claiming to work for a security company have been arrested," Sakanyi said on Wednesday in Kinshasa. "They say they were working for a security company but our information suggests they had other motives. They wanted to destabilise the country, and that means a coup attempt."

He also claimed that some of the alleged mercenaries had confessed that they were plotting a coup with unnamed local politicians. In an analysis released early on Thursday, ISS senior researcher Henri Boshoff said there was no real threat of a coup or any form of destabilisation in the DRC, but rather the arrests could have been linked to internal political rivalry.

He said the fact that the South African nationals were arrested in the company of three Americans who were in the country to take up guard duties around opposition leader Oscar Kashala, who is one of 33 presidential candidates, suggested both companies were acting within the law at the time.

"It is not beyond reason to suggest that the arrest of the alleged mercenaries is linked to their involvement with an opposition candidate," Boshoff said.

He said the arrests could also be in line with a recent proclamation by the DRC Ministry of Defence, which said opposition candidates should not have more than 25 bodyguards, a number which analysts view as insignificant when compared with President Joseph Kabila's 10,000-strong presidential bodyguard.

"The international community, including the diplomatic and UN missions in the country do not believe that there were any plans to topple the Congolese government, but rather attribute it to political rivalry," Boshoff said.

The ISS said the Omega chief executive officer, Alex De Witt, had on Monday made "useful and supportive" presentations to the South African Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, which is at the moment examining the country's proposed Mercenary Bill. Omega has since expressed its worry, saying the men were arrested as a result of misunderstandings.

Boshoff also said it would have been far-fetched for the alleged mercenaries to plan to stage a coup when a 16,500-strong UN peacekeeping force was in the country.

The ISS analysis came as DRC's leading opposition party, the l'Union pour la Democratie et le progres social (the Union for the Democracy and the Social Progress - UDPS) of Etienne Tshisekedi said the coup allegation was a plot by the government to divert attention from the elections and the failures of the transitional government.

News agencies also quoted a senior Congolese military intelligence official as saying there was no merit behind the coup allegations. He said domestic political motives could have been the main motivation for the arrests.

However, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday that the laws of the DRC should be applied strongly against any South Africans arrested in connection with the case if the allegations were found to be true.

DRC opposition says coup allegations a diversion

May 25, 2006 http://www.sabcnews.com

Mutambo Kabunjee, the leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC's) main opposition, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress party says coup allegations are a strategy by the administration of Joseph Kabila, the DRC president, to divert attention from the country's upcoming elections.

Nineteen South African passport holders are among at least 26 foreigners arrested in the DRC for allegedly plotting to destabilise the country. Kabunjee says he expects the election, set for July 30, to be fraudulent. He says to them its one of the strategy to divert the attention of the international community and South African people about what is going on in Congo that there is a general growing discontent about failure of the transition in the country.

He says the election process in Congo is not transparent, it is not democratic and it's amazing to see how South Africans are pushing for an election where the outcome is well-known.

Meanwhile, the security company Omega says the detention of their workers in the DRC is an unfortunate misunderstanding. Christo Roelofse, Omega's managing director for Africa, says they have been approached about three months ago by an American election campaign company that would support one of the 33 presidential candidates.
At least 16 of those detained are employees of Omega International Associates.

Arrested suspects have not been charged as yet
He says they have been approached to provide administration and logistical support to them. At this stage, the men have not been charged for anything, have not appeared in a court and apparently the authorities are in a process to interview them.

Yesterday, the DRC's interior ministry said they had prove that the arrested 32 South Africans, Nigerians and Americans objective was to overthrow the country's transitional authorities and upset the elections. Henri Mova Sakanyi, a DRC government spokesperson, says intelligence agents found documents in their apartments that proved their intention to topple the government. Sakanyi says the suspects have confessed that they were planning a coup in collaboration with some Congolese politicians.

Dans la fièvre de la préparation des élections générales qui se préparent en Rdc, William Lacy Swing, chef de la mission des Nations Unies au Congo, qui déclare avoir suivi attentivement les développements de la Rdc, livre ci-après dans une interview, sa vue sur les grandes questions de l’heure (Suite)
Kinshasa , 25.05.2006 | Politics
Concernant l’appui humanitaire au Congo, pourquoi les fonds promis ne correspondent-ils pas à ce qui était espéré ?
Les élections ne marquent pas la fin des tâches de transition encore à effectuer.

Il est vrai que l’initiative lancée à Bruxelles en février de cette année n’a pas encore apporté les résultats que nous attendions et espérions. Nous avions demandé que 681 millions de dollars américains soient immédiatement disponibles dans le domaine humanitaire afin de répondre aux besoins de la population. Les réponses des bailleurs ne sont bien sûr pas toutes arrivées et nous faisons activement campagne pour obtenir cet appui qui est instamment nécessaire.

Il y a, je pense, plusieurs raisons pour lesquelles cette initiative est sous financée : il y a une compétition sévère avec plusieurs autres endroits dans le monde, en premier lieu le Darfour, pour des ressources limitées. Il y a également une demande croissante pour le maintien de la paix, pour ne pas parler uniquement de l’humanitaire. Le budget global consacré au maintien de la paix a doublé en cinq ans et représente désormais plus de 5 milliards de dollars. Il y a également eu une série de catastrophes à travers le monde. Cela ne veut pas nécessairement dire que nous ne pourrons obtenir cet argent, mais il arrive plus lentement que nous ne l’envisagions.

De quelle manière la force européenne (Eufor) récemment constituée va-t-elle renforcer la Monuc ?

Nous accueillons avec satisfaction l’initiative du Secrétaire général adjoint en charge des opérations de maintien de la paix et la réponse très positive de l’Union européenne et des Etats qui contribuent à cette force. Nous attendons évidemment la décision finale des capitales européennes.

Nous reconnaissons par cette initiative le fait que la taille de la Monuc n’est pas adaptée à la taille de ce pays : nous disposons de 15 bataillons sur lesquels 13 sont concentrés sur l’extrême Est du pays, dans le district de l’Ituri et les provinces du Nord et Sud Kivu. Cela ne laisse que deux bataillons et d’un bataillon d’intervention rapide opérant en dehors de Kinshasa pour couvrir le reste du pays, soit un territoire plus grand que l’Espagne et la France réunies. Deux bataillons ne sont tout simplement pas suffisants.

L’initiative européenne vise donc à augmenter nos capacités et fournir des expertises que nous n’avions peut-être pas.

Nous pensons que ce sera une force crédible et qu’Eufor est la dernière manifestation de la détermination de la communauté internationale à appuyer les Congolais et leurs élections.

Pensez-vous que les Congolais soient prêt pour une réconciliation nationale après les élections ?

Ce qu’il y a de remarquable au cours des dix dernières années de cette période difficile est que les Congolais ont réussi à rester ensembles en tant que nation. Il existe un fort sentiment d’unité nationale, ce qui n’est pas commun quand on considère que les émissions radio et télévisées diffusées de Kinshasa n’atteignent pas la partie Est du pays. Les gens là-bas écoutent d’avantage les programmes en Swahili provenant d’autres pays. Il y a peut-être un sens moins fort de l’Etat, en raison de sa faiblesse ou de son manque d’attention à leur égard, à moins qu’il ne constitue une menace.

Une réconciliation nationale a déjà commencé par le biais de discussions qui ont mené à des accords sur la base desquels l’actuel gouvernement a été formé. Cette réconciliation va bien évidemment s’accélérer après les élections. Une commission vérité et réconciliation tout comme la résolution locale de conflit seront abordées encore plus sérieusement. Je me sens donc encouragé par la perspective de réconciliation encore plus grande après les élections.

Quel appui les Nations Unies apporteront-elles au nouveau gouvernement ?

Les deux principales considérations sont, d’une part, quel rôle le nouveau gouvernement élu voudra que l’Onu joue et, d’autre part, ce que le Conseil de sécurité est prêt à appuyer et financer.

Une fois ces deux paramètres posés, mon sentiment est que l’Onu peut offrir un appui majeur. Il existe une certaine confusion concernant la transition, car il est vrai que la constitution de la transition prévoit que les élections et le fait que le Président soit investit de ses fonctions marquent la fin de la transition. Les élections ne marquent cependant pas la fin des actions de transition encore à effectuer.

Les actions de transition sont multiples : après les élections il n’y aura toujours pas de nouvelles forces armées ou de police intégrée. Dix mille éléments armés étrangers menaçant les populations seront toujours présents dans l’Est du pays. Toutes les milices congolaises ne seront pas encore passées par le processus d’intégration. Quelques régions ne seront pas encore complètement sous le contrôle de l’autorité gouvernementale, marquant de fait une absence de l’Etat. Tout cela devra être adressé.

Evidemment, l’un des soucis majeur est qu’au lendemain des élections, les attentes concernant les fruits de la paix augmenteront de manière exponentielle alors qu’il risque d’y avoir une tendance de la part de la communauté internationale à voir dans les élections une stratégie de départ. Nous devons prendre en compte ce possible écart entre les attentes et les ressources.

Vous avez dit que votre première fois au Congo remontait à 1964. Quelle est votre impression sur ce pays, 40 ans plus tard ?

Je suis arrivé ici la première fois le 1er janvier 1964, en chemin pour prendre mes premières fonctions en tant que diplomate en Afrique du Sud. J’ai depuis attentivement suivi les développements de la situation au Congo et j’ai passé douze ans en Afrique centrale : six au Congo (Rdc), deux au Congo à Brazzaville il y a vingt-cinq ans, en tant qu’Ambassadeur des Etats-Unis, deux à Bangui, en République centrafricaine comme Chargé d’affaires et enfin deux à Washington comme directeur des affaires zaïroises au Département d’Etat.

J’ai donc vu le Congo évoluer. C’est un pays aux ressources énormes, mais celles-ci n’ont pas été exploitées correctement pour le bien-être de la population, principalement parce que le pays n’a pas connu de bonne gouvernance, certainement pas de bonne gestion économique, et a fait face à beaucoup d’exploitations illégales de ses ressources.

Ce que je vois maintenant est que, pour la première fois, nous avons en place un processus légitime, visible et identifiable qui mènera à des institutions elles-mêmes légitimes et stables.

Nous avons un cadre légal international solide : cinq accords internationaux, plus de trente-trois résolutions du Conseil de Sécurité et un engagement résolu de la communauté internationale.

Nous avons ensuite des mécanismes en place : la Monuc représente la plus grande opération de maintient de la paix dans le monde. Le Ciat, le Comité international d’accompagnement de la transition, est unique en ce qu’il est responsable, conjointement avec le gouvernement du succès de la transition. Quinze ambassadeurs du Ciat se réunissent régulièrement pour appuyer ce processus. Il y a également des institutions régionales telle que la Commission Tripartite Plus ou la Commission de Vérification conjointe.

Il y a enfin un financement suffisant pour ce processus. La Monuc, par exemple, a un budget de 1,13 milliard de dollars. Les bailleurs ont offert 458 millions de dollars pour l’appui aux élections. De plus, nous pouvons compter sur un très fort soutient de l’Afrique pour ce processus. Des dirigeants comme les présidents Mbeki, Obasanjo, Dos Santos, Sassou N’Guesso et l’ancien président Chissano, et des institutions comme l’Union africaine et la Communauté de développement de l’Afrique australe (Cdaa) appuient le Congo, ce qui illustre de fait un processus essentiellement africain.

Le Congo détient maintenant avec cette coalition sa meilleure chance de s’éloigner d’un passé difficile. L’ironie de l’histoire du Congo est que l’un des pays africain les plus riches est devenu l’un des plus pauvres au monde. C’est ce paradigme que nous avons la chance de pouvoir changer, pourvu que la communauté internationale soit prête à maintenir le cap et que le gouvernement nouvellement élu s’engage fermement pour que les richesses du pays soient utilisées pour le bien-être de la population.

AfSud-RDCongo : La RDC doit être ferme avec ceux qui veulent la déstabiliser (Mbeki)

JOHANNESBURG, 25 mai 2006 (AMI) - Le président sud-africain Thabo Mbeki a estimé que la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) devait "agir avec fermeté" contre les tentatives de déstabilisation après l'arrestation d'une trentaine d'hommes, dont 19 Sud-Africains, accusés d'avoir fomenté un coup d'Etat.
"S'il y a des Sud-Africains impliqués dans des processus illégaux tendant à déstabiliser la RDC et affecter ses élections, je crois que le gouvernement congolais doit agir avec fermeté contre ces personnes, comme nous le ferions dans le cadre de nos propres lois", a déclaré mercredi soir à Londres M. Mbeki, dans un entretien à la radio publique sud-africaine SABC.
"Quiconque tenterait de s'engager dans des actions militaires pour perturber le processus électoral au Congo échouerait, j'en suis sûr. (...) Ce serait une aventure sans espoir", a-t-il ajouté, en évoquant la présence sur le terrain des forces de l'ONU et de l'armée congolaise, ainsi que la détermination des Congolais à aller aux élections.
Mardi, les autorités congolaises ont annoncé avoir arrêté 32 étrangers - Sud-Africains, Nigérians et Américains - les présentant comme des "mercenaires" dont l'objectif était de "renverser les institutions" et "perturber le processus électoral" en cours en RDC.

Kenya's economy grew by 5.8 percent in 2005
Source: Xinhua May 26, 2006

Kenya's economy grew by 5.8 percent in 2005 compared to a revised growth of 4.9 percent in 2004, according to a key government survey released on Thursday.

The just published economic survey attributed expansion in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to strong growth in tourism and privatization in the transport and power sectors.

"Economic activities were high in the first three quarters but slowed down during the fourth quarter, when drought experienced in some parts of the country adversely affected livestock sub-sector, " Planning Minister Henry Obwocha said during the release of the survey.

He said the searing drought which is ravaging the east African nation could slow the economic performance this year which he projected to grow at between 5.5 percent and 6.0 percent.

"Despite the high oil prices throughout the year and drought in the fourth quarter of 2005, overall inflation decreased from 11.6 percent in 2004 to 10.3 percent in 2005," the survey said.

According to the survey, major sectors recorded improved performance except agriculture, which was slowed down by the drought that was experienced in the country in the last quarter of 2005.

According to the survey, the tourism and hotels sector grew by 13.3 percent. Transport and communication was up by 8.3 percent. Building and construction grew by 7.2 percent. Agriculture and forestry 6.7 percent and manufacturing 5.0 percent.

The minister said activities in the financial sector are likely to be on upward trend supported by the good corporate and rising credit to the private sector.

Angola: Angola Records 20.6 Percent Growth for 2005
Business in Africa (Johannesburg) May 25, 2006 Luanda

Angola's growth reached 20.6 percent in 2005, the government said on Wednesday.

The oil-driven economy grew at its fastest pace since independence in 1975, according to government figures.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicated growth of 18 percent for 2005 against a figure of 12.2 percent for the previous year. The IMF expects growth of over 27 percent for 2006, which would make Angola the fastest growing economy in the world.

Angola is sub-Saharan Africa's second largest oil producer. High oil prices and development in the sector have helped the country rebuild infrastructure following the end of a 27-years civil war in 2002.

Angola produces 1.4 million barrels of oil per day, most of which is exported to China. Investments from BP, Chevron and Exxon Mobil are likely to take this figure over 2 million by the end of 2007.

Angola has used some of its oil revenue to build up reserves of $4.4bn, however, oil investments have not translated into jobs, with over 80 percent of the population thought to be without employment.

Although the government has built up reserves and is trying to diversify revenue - oil accounte for over 80 percent of current fiscal receipts - a dip in oil prices would severely hurt the economy, which makes current growth unsustainable.

SOUTH AFRICA:

South Africa: Mozambique offers its Brazil connections to SA ahead of 2010

May 26, 2006 Source: Bua news By Andnetwork .com

While the dominant use of the Portuguese language by Mozambican citizens could be viewed as a barrier for those wanting to do business in that country, for South Africa's soccer fraternity it could offer a link to Brazil's soccer talent ahead of the 2010 world cup.

Mozambique's minister of youth and sports, David Simango today told his South African counterpart, Makhekensi Stofile, that should language become barrier in Bafana Bafana's search for soccer skills in countries such as Brazil ahead of 2010, his country was more than ready to facilitate.

"As South Africa's Portuguese speaking neighbour, Mozambique has strong ties with Latin America's Portuguese speaking countries such as Brazil.

"If South Africa is willing to tap into Brazil's wealth of soccer experience, we are more than willing to act as a link," he said.

Mr Simango, who was speaking during the signing of South Africa and Mozambique's sports cooperative agreement, said his country was ready to offer South Africa any form of support as it prepares to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

"As South Africa's neighbour, Mozambique stands to benefit tremendously from the experience which this country would acquire through hosting this tournament.

"There are some lessons which South Africa will share with us on areas such as infrastructure development and tourism, we therefore have to give it all the supports it needs during preparations and the hosting of the event," he said.

Mr Stofile said the sports cooperative agreement signed by the countries did not only cover the 2010 World Cup, but also covered other sporting codes.

"Mozambique has the strongest basketball teams in Southern Africa while on the other hand South Africa is the strongest in athletics, these agreements make it possible for us to share expertise in some of these areas," he said.

He said the objective of the agreement was to build stronger sporting entities in both countries.

S.Africa unveils plan to open telecoms sector
Fri May 26, 2006 By Rebecca Harrison

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa has unveiled plans to further dismantle state-owned Telkom's fixed-line monopoly and is building a wireless broadband network to boost Internet access in Africa's biggest economy.

The Ministry of Communications will allow all operators access to the "last mile" network of phone lines into homes and offices and will use state-owned signal carrier Sentech to build a wireless broadband network that will offer voice services.

"Sentech will form the core of our wireless broadband infrastructure network," Minister of Communications Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said in a speech issued late on Thursday.

She did not say how much the government would spend on rolling out the wireless broadband network, which will cover rural and urban areas, and did not provide a timeframe.

Telkom has reported bumper profits in recent years after it slashed costs but continued to enjoy a virtual monopoly on fixed-line voice and Internet services, but some analysts say the company will struggle when faced with more competition.

Analysts said Sentech could provide major competition to Telkom but said the government has a history of slow delivery on communications and had not said how it would fund the new network, which would cost 1 billion rand.

"Effectively they are announcing the licensing of a new voice operator," said one telecoms analyst. "But the question is how will this be funded? And the market has started taking the ministry's proclamations with a pinch of salt."

Telkom stock underperformed sharp gains on the Johannesburg top-40 index of blue-chip stocks, gaining 1.87 percent to 136.50 rand by 0720 GMT.

HIGH TARIFFS

South Africa has said high tariffs for phone calls and Internet access are impeding the roll-out of communications to the poor and deterring investment.

After long delays, a second national fixed line operator was awarded a licence at the end of last year, but has yet to launch. Analysts say its effectiveness in cutting prices will be dependent on access to Telkom's local loop network.

The minister said she would soon issue a timeframe to allow all licensed operators to interconnect with the so-called "last mile" of telecom links into homes and offices.

Matsepe-Casaburri said all operators would also have access to international bandwidth via an undersea cable controlled by Telkom on a cost basis instead of at higher prices. But she did not provide a timeframe.

And private voice and data service providers would be able to provide their own international bandwidth instead of relying on Telkom.

The minister also said South Africa was working to make sure a joint plan with other African countries for a cable linking the east of Africa to the rest of the world did not carry the same restrictions as the existing SAT-3 cable along the west of the continent.

S.Africa rand rebounds on Latam recovery, eyes gold
Fri May 26, 2006
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand extended its recovery on Friday, responding to a strong comeback in Latin American markets which have dictated its direction over the past few days.

Stronger gold prices also helped buoy the local unit, which was seen as likely to remain range-bound after being knocked sharply lower by turmoil in emerging markets and a rout in precious metals over the past two weeks.

At 0640 GMT the rand was trading at 6.52/dollar -- three cents firmer than its levels in Johannesburg late on Thursday, but a touch softer than its closing level in New York overnight.

"We don't have to be dollar/rand traders anymore, we are Brazil traders -- we have followed that market closely over the last three days," a local trader said. "What we are going through now is not about our economic outlook or specific fundamentals, it's about position weighting globally."

Latin America's currencies, stocks and bonds soared on Thursday in a strong comeback, with the Brazilian real gaining 4.54 percent -- its strongest advance in nearly four years and nearly wiping out its sharp tumble in the previous session.

The rand often suffers when sentiment swings against emerging markets as it is one of the most liquid currencies in the sector, and is grouped with the rest in basket trades.

Dealers said the unit was likely to trade between 6.47 and 6.55 against the greenback on Friday with an eye on movements in the price of gold -- which South Africa leads the world in producing.

Spot gold edged up above $650 an ounce on Friday, lifted by bargain hunting, but dealers said it remained vulnerable after losing more than 10 percent in value after scaling a 26-year high two weeks ago.

The euro was barely budged at $1.2787 as markets wait for U.S. core personal consumption expenditure data at 1230 GMT -- the inflation gauge most closely watched by Federal Reserve policy makers.

Movements in the single currency often help set direction for the rand as it is the unit of South Africa's main trade partner.

Government bonds were a touch stronger, reflecting the firmer rand. Prices had retreated on Thursday on news of a sharper than expected rise in producer prices during April, which fanned fears of a near-term interest rate hike.

The yield on the most-traded R153 bond due 2010 was down one basis point at 7.47 percent. Yields on the benchmark R157 bond due 2015 were down by the same margin at 7.69 percent.

S.Africa's Discovery says CEO of US unit leaves

Fri May 26, 2006 JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's top health insurer Discovery said on Friday that the chief executive of its struggling U.S. unit Destiny Health would leave the firm to be replaced by a new team.

Scott Spiker, CEO of its U.S. subsidiary Destiny Health, will leave in the next few weeks and a new management team will lead the organisation in delivering on stated strategies for growth and expansion, Discovery said in a statement.

Destiny Health will in the meantime be led by Executive Director Barry Swartzberg, a founding member and former CEO of Discovery Health, and Arthur Carlos, Destiny Health's chief actuarial officer.

Discovery, majority-owned by South African financial and banking group FirstRand, posted a 28 percent rise in full-year earnings for the year to end-June 2005, but Destiny Health had a bigger loss than expected, spooking investors.

Analysts at the time saw the larger loss as a big blemish on an otherwise successful business, and feared it could create uncertainty among investors, and especially if it meant more money being spent there to turn the U.S. unit around.

Discovery said then that Destiny would try to capitalise on the U.S. health insurance market and would pursue a more aggressive short-term expansion strategy.

The group said t