Burundi: En bref ce 29 MARS 2006 ...

Burundi: Top UN Legal Expert Begins Talks in Burundi On Justice And Reconciliation

UN News Service (New York) March 28, 2006

The top United Nations legal expert is leading a mission of high-level UN officials to Burundi aimed at helping to set up a truth and reconciliation commission and a special tribunal for human rights abuses committed during the country's 12-year long civil war.

"Peace thirsts for truth and reconciliation. Durable peace thirsts for justice as well," Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel said on arriving at the Bujumbura airport on Sunday.

"We are particularly encouraged in our mission by the fact that the country authorities give a high priority to reconciliation and to the end of impunity as essential elements for consolidating a durable peace," he added.

Mr. Michel's delegation, which is responding to a request by the Security Council that Secretary-General Kofi Annan consult with the Government of Burundi, includes members of the UN Legal Department, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (UNHCHR), the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and the Department of Political Affairs.

According to the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB), the delegation's first round of negotiations with the Government began yesterday and included the first Vice-President of Burundi and the ministers of justice, national solidarity, as well as representatives of ONUB led by Carolyn McAskie, the Secretary-General's Special Representative to the country.

Rwanda announces 7 million dollars loss due to impounded plane in Belgium
Source: Xinhua March 29, 2006

Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority revealed here on Tuesday that the impounded cargo airliner, the Silverback, in Belgium for alleged non-compliance of flight standards seven months ago caused the company a loss of 7 million U.S. dollars.

The General Manager of Silverback Cargo Freighters Innocent Mupenzi said that the company had incurred both financial and other unquantifiable damages.

"The loss that we incurred is both in revenue and public relations. We suffered a total revenue loss amounting to over 7 million U.S. dollars. The negative publicity after the grounding of our plane for a period of not less than six months is another unprecedented shortfall on us," Mupenzi said.

"It had always traveled to Europe and many other African countries without any trouble, until last year when we started flights to Belgium," he said, adding that the reasons for grounding the plane were not genuine.

The Belgium Civil Aviation Authority released the Silverback last week but blacklisted it, barring the plane from using the European airspace.

However, Mupenzi said the ban was temporary and added that talks between the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority and its Belgian counterparts are underway to lift the ban.

"We are engaged in talks to reverse the decision and I hope that within a few months the cargo flights to Europe will resume," he said.

"That the Belgian CAA has released the plane means the problems are over. We are yet to see the report on the blacklist but it is unfortunate because faults were not severe to warrant such a thing, " an official said.

Nearly a month ago, Rwandan government impounded SN Brussels Airline which was followed by accusations from Belgian government that the decision was politically motivated.

The airline usually offers regular services between Brussels and Kigali every Tuesday and Saturday. The return flight arrives on Wednesday and Sunday mornings.

ANGOLA

Les questions d`intérêt mutuel entre l`Angola et l`Union Européenne au centre de discussion

Luanda, 28/03/2006 Angop Le vice-ministre des Relations extérieures, Georges Chicoty, s`est entretenu lundi, à Luanda, avec une délégation de l`Union Européenne (UE), pour un échange d`informations sur des questions d`intérêt mutuel.

Se confiant à l`Angopà l`ssue de l`entretien, Georges Chicoty a déclaré que la réunion avait eu lieu dans le cadre du dialogue politique entre l`Union Européenne et l`Afrique, Caraïbes et Pacifique (ACP).

Les interlocuteurs ont discuté les formes de coopération entre les parties, dans le domaine de l`émigration, et ont a admis que celle-ci n`avait pas seulement des aspects négatifs, mais aussi positifs.

Selon le gouvernant, au cours de cette cinquième rencontre, les deux parties ont analysé tout le domaine d`émigration, tant légale qu`illégale.

Pendant trois heures, la délégation angolaise et celle de l`Union Européenne, conduite par l`ambassadeur des Pays-Bas accrédités en Angola, Jan Schouten, ont passé en revue les formes d`améliorer la dimension de ce phénomène qui affecte les pays européens et les Africains.

Pour Chicoty, actuellement les organisations régionales et continentales défendent l`existence d`une émigration qui ne soit néfaste pour personne, vu les points d`origine et de réception.

Après avoir souligné que l`Angola était victime de l`émigration illégale, le vice-ministre a expliqué que la Loi constitutionnelle angolaise stipule la libre circulation des personnes et des biens, ainsi que le traitement digne aux citoyens étrangers résidants dans le pays.

Selon lui, les deux délégations ont conclu que l`émigration négative est celle qui porte préjudice aux intérêts et au bien-être des citoyens. Sur ce, sont inclus dans ce groupe ceux qui participent au trafic illicite, les mentors du terrorisme et tous ceux qui contribuent à l`instabilité de l`ordre.

La prochaine rencontre, prévue pour juin, se penchera sur la stabilité politique en Afrique Centrale. La dernière a eu lieu en août 2005.

Angola: Le Premier ministre annonce au Parlement le statut spécial pour Cabinda

Angola Press Agency (Luanda) 28 Mars 2006 Luanda

Le Premier ministre angolais, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, a affirmé mardi, à Luanda, à l'Assemblée Nationale, qu'un statut spécial pourra prochainement être accordé à la province de Cabinda, dans le cadre du processus de pacification de cette région angolaise.

Fernando da Piedade a fait cette annonce lorsqu'il répondait aux questions formulées par les parlementaires de l'opposition, au cours de la première session de l'Assemblée Nationale convoquée pour éclaircir certains actes de gouvernance.

Selon le Premier ministre, le scénario en perspective résulte de la mise en oeuvre de la première phase du programme du Gouvernement angolais pour la pacification de cette province de l'extrême-nord, où l'on vit déjà une situation "positive et avec des progrès évidents".

A ce propos, il a souligné que les oppositions qui ont marquées les relations entre le Gouvernement et le Front de Libération de l'Enclave de Cabinda (Flec), dans le passé, ont été bannies grâce aux contacts et au dialogue, à travers le "Forum cabindais pour le dialogue", une Institution qui regroupe le Flec, ainsi que les Organisations de la société civile de cette province.

Sans entrer dans les détails, le Premier ministre a dit que le processus de pacification en cours oblige le Gouvernement angolais à prendre des mesures politiques appropriées pour l'attribution d'un statut spécial à cette région du pays, riche en pétrole.

Les sujets ayant trait à la transparence et à la corruption, ainsi que des questions sociales et celles liées au processus électoral ont également été abordés au cours de cette même rencontre.

Plus de 80 millions de dollars pour le registre électoral

Le Premier ministre angolais annonce le budget destiné aux dépenses du registre électoral en Angola

Luanda, 28/03 - Angop - Le Premier ministre angolais, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, a annoncé mardi à l`Assemblée Nationale que le Gouvernement a approuvé une somme de 85 millions de dollars USD pour couvrir les dépenses inhérentes au registre des électeurs en Angola.

Fernando da Piedade a fait cette déclaration quand il répondait aux députés de l`opposition au cours d`une session spéciale convoquée pour l`éclaircissement de certains actes de gouvernance relatifs au processus de préparation et à la tenue des prochaines élections au pays.

Concernant les tâches du Gouvernement, Fernando da Piedade a rappelé que la Commission interministérielle pour le processus électoral(CIP) évolue normalement dans son travail de préparer les conditions technico-materielles, logistiques et administratives pour la réalisation du scrutin.

A cet effet, rappellons que, les discussions au tour de ces tâches sont depuis longtemps bloquées au niveau de la Commission Constitutionnelle de l`Assemblée Nationale, en grande partie à cause de l`irréductibilité et l`inflexibilité des députés de l`opposition.

Les éclaircissements au tour de la conclusion du processus de registre civil gratuit d`adultes dans tout le pays, le registre électoral, dates des élections, financement des candidats à la présidentielle et la confection des bulletins de votes ont également été donnés.

Plus de 700 mille dollars investis dans des projets sociaux à Huambo

Huambo (Angola), 28/03/2006 - ANGOP - L`Organisation Non Gouvernementale "coopération internationale et culture" (CIC) du Portugal a investi l`année dernière, 760 mille dollars américains dans l`exécution de divers projets sociaux, a appris mardi l`Angop de source officielle.

Selon le délégué de cette ONG en Angola, Francisco Raposo, de ce montant financ` par l`Union europ`enne (UE), 500 mille dollars ont été investis dans la réhabilitation d`un centre de santé dans la localité de Tchindjendje, la construction et l`équipement de trois centres de santé à Caparacaça, Etalangala et Olossole.

Le financement a été également utilisé dans le projet dénommé "opérateur de référence municipale" lié aux actions de formation dans les secteurs de l`informatique, la statistique, des relations publiques, du développement communautaire, de l`administration publique et la reconstruction des infrastructures sociales.

La CIC à Huambo exécute aussi des projets communautaires dans les municipalit`s de Caala, Longonjo, Ukuma et de Tchindjendje.

UGANDA

Uganda : Heritage Oil borrows $6m for Uganda operations

March 29, 2006, By ANDnetwork .com -New Vision-

HERITAGE Oil & Gas will use $6m (sh11b) of $60m it has borrowed on Canadian money markets to fund further drilling of its western Ugandan oil exploration operations, a company statement has said.

The statement said Heritage had completed a $60m (sh109.2b), 10% unsecured convertible five-year bond issue, intended to raise money to fund its 2006 operations budget.

The $6m is earmarked for the drilling of Kingfisher-1 Well in Block 3A in Semliki, western Uganda. the The drilling is expected to resume soon.

Block 3A is adjacent to Block 3, where Heritage has been operating for the last over six years.

According to the statement, other funds that will be raised will be used for general corporate purposes and will be sufficient to cover Heritage’s other projected capital expenditures.

The expenditures include $20m (sh36.4b) for operations in Russia, $15m (sh27.3b) for Kurdistan and an appraisal target in Oman that will cost $3m (sh5.4b).

Heritage Oil was the first company to explore for oil in Uganda. They drilled two wells in Block 3 that although encountered oil, had to be suspended because of excessive carbondioxide.

The company also has a licence for Block One in the Pakwach region, where seismic studies will be undertaken during this year.

According to the statement, the bonds, which are issued at par, are fully convertible at any time at a conversion price of $18 (sh327,60) per share, which is a premium of about 45% to the closing market price of Heritage Oil’s shares on March 24, 2006.

If entirely converted, the bond issue will lead to the issuance of an aggregate of 3,333,333 common shares.

The company in whole or in part at any time may redeem bonds during the first year at a 50% premium, plus accrued interest, to the issue price.

Uganda: Manufacturers bitter with govt over delay in Free Trade deal

March 28, 2006, By ANDnetwork .com Source : Monitor

Manufacturers are bitter with the Ugandan government over its delay to sign the Free Trade Agreement.

Although the Uganda Manufacturers Association, their umbrella body, has come up to give updates about the process, the manufacturers maintain that they are incurring unnecessary huge losses in exports, which fees they claim would not be levied on them if the government had signed the agreement.

Contrary to UMA and the government's excuse that Uganda would benefit less from the agreement, companies like Mukwano Group and Southern Range Nyanza Limited (SRNL) among other exporters in the region, argue that the common understanding would widen Uganda's market opportunities for her manufactured goods.

The Chief Executive Officer of Mukwano Group of Companies, Mr Ibnul Hassan Rizvi, insists that Ugandan exporters need to get the opportunity of entering Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan among other Comesa markets freely.

According to him, other countries that signed the FTA pact are out competing them in these markets because they incur huge expenses yet they have to operate at the same market levels.

"Uganda's textile export competitiveness in the hitherto natural export markets within Comesa has been watered down since Kenya, the East African manufacturing giant can easily out compete Ugandan textile exports in the said markets due to her membership in the Comesa FTA," Richard Mubiru, the SRNL Legal Team leader said.

He said the early entry into the FTA arrangement in Comesa by neighbouring countries puts them ahead of Uganda in regional trade due to eligibility to zero percent reciprocal treatment.

Mubiru added: "This has naturally rendered Uganda's proximity to Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi irrelevant as Kenya can conveniently off-set the distance disadvantage from the same market due to the 0 percent duty her exports enjoy under the FTA."

The manufacturers argue that Uganda may not even realise the benefits of the five-year zero-rated industrial transitional period for raw material importation under the principle of assymetry enshrined in the EAC Protocol.
This principle is meant to help the country catch-up with Tanzania and Kenya in terms of trade.

However, the UMA boss, Mr Abid Alam, explained that Uganda, as a country whose geographical location of landlockedness disadvantages her from competitive trade in the region, needs to weigh results of the post FTA agreement.

"We understand how the delay in signing the FTA agreements affects local exporters. However, we cannot endorse the agreement for the sake of it. We are still weighing the possible outcomes to ensure the consequences are not harsh to us," Alam told Daily Monitor in an interview on March 23. He added that they are still analysing the provisions of the agreement that may raise relative outstanding concerns in multilateral trading between Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi among other member countries under Comesa.

The Trade Minister, Mr Daudi Migereko, confirmed that the matter is still under review.
"After we have overcome the current problems of inconsistent production and supply affecting us in regional trade, we will be certain that the agreement will not help the neighbouring countries to over run us in the process," he said.

Top UN relief official to visit drought-hit E. Africa

www.chinaview.cn 2006-03-29

NAIROBI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A top United Nations relief official is set to embark on a nine-day mission to drought-hit East African countries facing humanitarian crisis, the UN announced on Wednesday.

The UN said in its news release that UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland will visit four East African countries starting on Thursday.

Egeland's first visit will be on Uganda on Thursday, where a 20-year-long rebellion by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has uprooted almost 2 million civilians amid accusations of grave human rights violations by the rebels, including the kidnapping of thousands of children as fighters or "wives", the release said.

The UN relief official will gain a firsthand view of the situation by visiting the north, where the conflict has spilled over into southern Sudan through the presence of LRA forces there.

From Uganda, he travels to Juba in southern Sudan, where the UN Mission in the country UNMIS is preparing for the return of more than 4 million refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) after a peace accord last year ended two decades of fighting between the government and southern rebels. Egeland will visit an IDP station there.

He will then go to Nyala in Sudan's western Darfur region, where a separate conflict between government forces, pro-government militias and rebels has led to the deaths of at least 180,000 people and uprooted more than 2 million others over the past three years.

According to the news release, while in the troubled region, Egeland will visit an IDP camp run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The UN official will next visit a Sudanese refugee camp in eastern Chad housing some of those who have fled Darfur before returning to Sudan for meetings in the capital, Khartoum, with government and UNMIS officials.

Egeland will travel to Nairobi, Kenya on his last leg of his four-nation tour, where severe drought has affected 3.5 million people.

Aid agencies said chronic poverty and limited livelihood alternatives have left them ill equipped to withstand the shock of the crisis in northern Kenya.

President Mwai Kibaki said mid this month that the east African nation is making arrangements to import grain to offset food shortages that are affecting an estimated five million people in the country.

"We are making urgent arrangements to import additional grains to bridge the gap," Kibaki said.

Tanzania: ’Negotiations skills needed for successful international trade’

March 28, 2006 Source : Guardian By ANDnetwork .com

Importers and exporters in Tanzania have been challenged to acquire more skills in negotiations in order to avoid becoming victims of unfavourable terms of international trade.

This was said by Godluck Nkini, a CRDB bank official when explaining the importance of trade financing to the bank’s corporate customers during a meeting on Friday in Dar es Salaam.

’Inadequate skills in negotiations have a bad impact on the side of local businesses because they can lead to unexpected loss of the ventures,’ he said.

He said, as a result, overseas suppliers insist on being furnished with advance payments while exporters are forced to accept open account terms, which may not be good for them.

’Trade financing refers to innovative financial products and services that assist importers and exporters to fulfill their financing needs,’ he explained.

He said trade financing is important for individual traders and internationally firms, because it can shape competitiveness of their contract terms.

He went on to say that ’it is also a source of working capital for many traders in need of financing to procure, process or manufacture products before sale in future.’

He said the absence of an adequate trade financing infrastructure was in effect equivalent to a trade barrier.

’Importers facing difficulties in accessing trade finance have a limited chance to offer competitive terms to their suppliers, the like of advance payment terms and sight letters of credit,’ he stated.

Conversely, exporters with limited supply of trade financing, had difficulties in penetrating the market because ’while importers may prefer to buy on open account, or on deferred terms, the supplier may not be in a position to accept such terms,’ he said.

He said commercial banks are the main source of trade funding since they provide pre export financing, help in collection process, issue and confirm letters of credit.

’They offer free based services such as providing credit and country information on buyers and book acceptance and discounting drafts,’ he said.

Speaking at the same meeting, the CRDB bank, Deputy Managing Director, J.O. Pedersen, urged customers to keep proper audited records to ease credit application analysis.

’Business should have already prepared profiles about their ventures so as to be easily rated by rating organizations, he said.

The two-day meeting between the bank and its corporate customers was part of the bank’s activities to mark ten years since it was established.

La Rdc dispose aussi d’un potentiel pétrolier important
Des forages effectués aux environs des Lacs Albert et Edouard ont révélés des indices de pétrole et de gaz
Kinshasa , 28.03.2006 | Economy | (FP) | C.I | Le révélateur
Lorsqu’il y a envolée des prix du pétrole dans le monde, les plus heureux figurent naturellement parmi le pays producteurs. La RDC aurait pu compter parmi les nouveaux riches si sa production de pétrole était importante. Ce n’est malheureusement pas le cas, contrairement aux pays voisins tels que l’Angola et le Congo/Brazzaville. La volatilité des prix du pétrole s’explique par un déséquilibre entre l’offre et la demande mondiale.
Il y a eu début mars une forte pression sur demande des produits pétroliers exercée par des pays comme la Chine et l’Inde qui sont en pleine croissance économique. Suivant les déclarations faites le 3 mars 2005 dans le quotidien koweïtien. Al-Qabas par le Secrétaire général par intérim de l’Organisation des pays exportateurs de pétrole (Opep) ; Adnane Chihabeddine, le baril du pétrole pourrait atteindre 80 dollars d’ici deux ans. Selon les experts, les réserves connues de pétrole risquent de s’épuiser dans une quarantaine d’années. Au fil des ans, le pétrole deviendra une énergie rare et précieuse.

Quid de la production de la Rdc

La RDC produit du pétrole mais à moindre échelle. Sa production oscille autour de 9 millions de barils par an, soit 1,2 millions de tonnes métriques seulement. Il est étonnant de constater que l’Angola et le Congo/Brazzaville qui partagent le même bassin côtier que le Congo/Kinshasa sont par contre de gros producteurs de pétrole.

L’Angola qui produit actuellement environ un million de barils/jour devrait doubler sa production d’ici à 2008. Sa production provient principalement du Cabinda, province pourtant enclavée entre les deux Congo.

Quant au Congo/ Brazzaville, sa production actuelle représente dix fois celle de la RDC, soit environ 12,5 millions de tonnes par an. On voit bien que la région est engorgée d’hydrocarbures mais le fait que la RD Congo soit un producteur marginal a toujours étonné.

Le pays comprend trois bassins sédimentaires à savoir le Bassin côtier, le Bassin de la Cuvette centrale et le Bassin du Lac Tanganyika. Sur ces trois Bassins, un seul est en production. Il s’agit du Bassin côtier situé dans la province du Bas-Congo ou le pétrole est exploité on shore et off shore.

Le Bassin côtier couvre une superficie de 5.992 km2 dont 4.980 km2 à terre et 1.012 km2 en mer. Des experts estiment néanmoins que ce Bassin pourrait être complètement épuisé dans une quinzaine d’années alors que les pays voisins enregistrent un accroissement important de leur production de pétrole.

Les prospections y ont commence vers 1950 et la première production a été inaugurée le 27 novembre 1975 dans sa partie off shore. C’est en 1980 que va débuter la production on shore (en terre ferme). La production qui était de 0,025 millions de barils en 1975 va atteindre un plafond de 12 millions de barils en 1985 avec une moyenne journalière de 33.500 barils pour décliner ensuite à moins de 30.000 barils par jour. Pour faire face au déclin de la production, les sociétés d’exploitation affirment s’adonner régulièrement à des campagnes sismiques en vue de découvrir de nouveaux champs pétroliers où utilisent des techniques modernes de récupération secondaire d’huiles.

Le bassin de la cuvette centrale

Quant au Bassin de la Cuvette centrale qui couvre 800.000 km2, les premières études géologiques furent entreprises en 1953. La région étant couverte de marécages et de forêts, il se pose toujours des difficultés logistiques pour l’acheminement du matériel et l’enlèvement de la production. Mais à la longue, la hausse des prix du pétrole peut rendre la production rentable. Le Bassin du Lac Tanganyika couvre 38.000 km2.

Il est formé de deux secteurs : un secteur Nord partagé entre la RD Congo et l’Ouganda et le secteur Sud, partagé entre la RDC, le Burundi, la Tanzanie et la Zambie. Dans le secteur Nord, aux environs des Lacs Albert et Edouard, des forages ont révélé des indices de pétrole et de gaz. L’exploitation va nécessiter la construction d’un pipe-line qui irait du district de l’Ituri jusque Mombassa au Kenya. La compagnie canadienne Heritage Oil a déjà commence l’exploration sur les bords du Lac Albert, à la frontière entre l’Ouganda et la RDC.

C’est ce qui expliquerait selon RFI du 18-05-2004, l’intérêt américain pour la région frontalière de l’Ituri, dans le Nord-Est de la République Démocratique du Congo. Selon cette radio, les milieux diplomatiques de Kinshasa évoquent déjà les réserves « fabuleuses » qu’on pourrait y trouver et la possibilité de construire un oléoduc jusqu’au port kenyan de Mombasa afin d’exporter l’or noir.

DRC: Civic education crucial ahead of poll, official says

BRUSSELS, 29 March (IRIN) - Civic education ahead of elections scheduled for June is of "utmost importance" to sensitise the public for the democratic process, the head of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Independent Electoral Commission, Abbé Apollinaire Malu-Malu, has said.

Speaking on Tuesday in Brussels at a hearing organised at the European Parliament, Malu-Malu said the commission, known by its French acronym CEI, had proposed a US $40-million budget to international donors for the sensitisation of the public.

"The donors then indicated their preference for a direct funding of the civil society instead of the CEI," he said. "So far, nothing has been done. Human resources are there, only the funding is lacking."

Nevertheless, he said, some contracts had been signed between the CEI and community radios in order to present what is at stake during the next elections.

"The CEI could also support limited activities, like the popularisation of the electoral law," he said.

The CEI, he said, was trying to "relaunch the debate in order to know who does what".

He said the CEI would hold an open-door day in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, on 10 April to showcase itself and to invite civil society partners to present their projects in the field of the civic education.

"Only coordinated actions will prove their efficiency," Malu-Malu said.

He added that different churches had already implemented a common programme. In 2005, the Roman Catholic Church had published documents including an illustrated voter guide.

Some initiatives are also underway in eastern Congo. Last week, also in Brussels, Patient Bagenda of the Comite Anti-Bwaki of Bukavu, South Kivu Province; and Simon-Pierre Iyananio Molingi of the Diocese of Kasongo in Maniema Province, described the initiatives of civil society to sensitise the public to the democratic process.

Among these initiatives, the two said, was the "Nucleus of Democratic Radiation", comprising small groups of people present for many years in all the territories of South Kivu, and the recent instruction of 5,000 leaders in the Territory of Kasongo in order to inform the public including those in the most remote locations.

"In Kasongo the people don't have any access to the media, even [the UN-supported] Radio Okapi," Iyananiyo said.

He said for many years, the Church has had to take the role of the state. "Now it's time that the Congolese state revives, that's the reason why the elections are so important," he said. "For the Christians, they represent a moral obligation, but we don't give any instruction for the vote."

Head of Congolese electoral commission calls for more voter education funds
AP - 29 mar. 2006

The head of Congo's electoral commission on Tuesday asked the European Union for more money for a voter education campaign before his country's first presidential elections in over three decades.

"The human resources are there to carry it out, but we just need more money," said Apollinaire Malu-Malu. He did not say how much more was needed, but said the US$40 million (euro33.3 million) budgeted was not enough.

"We have a budgetary problem for raising awareness of voters," Malu-Malu told reporters after talks with EU officials and lawmakers at the European Parliament. He said various associations, unions, and international non-governmental organizations would present their voter education plans on April 10.

The electoral commission announced that the long-delayed elections had been pushed back again, at least a week beyond the scheduled June 18 date.

Malu-Malu said there have been delays in registering voters and candidates, and that his commission had extended the date for registration.

The election had been scheduled for June 2005, but was delayed by rifts in a government composed of former wartime foes, and the logistical challenge of organizing elections in a vast country that lacks basic infrastructure.

Malu-Malu said a date for the elections might not be set until after June 30, when the transitional Congolese constitution lapses. "The system is not a simple one," he said. "There are a lot of people that want to participate."

Malu-Malu also called for government authorities to make sure that all candidates get equal air time on radio stations.

A transitional Congolese government was established in 2003 after peace deals that ended the nation's devastating 1998-2002 war.

The elections would be Congo's first in over three decades. Peace deals three years ago ended a four-year war.

European Union governments last week agreed to send hundreds of troops to support U.N. peacekeepers in Congo for the elections.

The mission, meant to help Congo police keep order during and after the vote, is to deploy before the elections.

The EU force will station about 450 soldiers in the capital, Kinshasa, with around 1,000 extra outside the country on standby. Malu-Malu said the troops will be expected to stay for several months after the election results are announced.

The European Parliament is also expected to send a team of election observers, officials said.

Congo elections pushed back again; government cites filing delay
AP - 29 mar. 2006

Congo's long-delayed elections have been pushed back again, at least week beyond the earlier scheduled June 18 date, an electoral commission spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The vote is to be the first in decades in this sprawling and war-ravaged central African country. Congo has repeatedly set back the vote as logistical problems plague the process.

Electoral Commission spokeswoman Marie-Rose Kambere said Congo needed more time to process candidate applications after granting a 10-day extension for such presidential and parliamentary filings Thursday. Only some 400 people had paid the US$250 (about euro200)fee to contest the 500-seat parliament as of then, according to electoral commission officials. Some 30 presidential hopefuls have registered.

"The 10-day delay for the deposit of presidential dossiers will impact the electoral calendar and delay the elections from the current date of 18 June," Kambere said.

She said that polls were likely to be scheduled between June 25 and July 2. "We will announce the new calendar after April 2," Kambere said.

A spokesman for veteran opposition party candidate Etienne Tshisekedi said the delay may create a window for Tshisekedi to enter the presidential race. Tshisekedi, who originally planned to boycott the election, has said he will now run, but only if voter registration is reopened so his supporters can enroll. Many of Tshisekedi's followers missed the original registration deadline because of his boycott call.

"We believe the electoral commission has announced these delays to allow voter enrollment booths to reopen and negotiations to continue," said Jean-Baptiste Bomanza, a spokesman for Tshisekedi's party.

The electoral commission, though, has refused Tshisekedi's request for more voter registration time, insisting that would be costly and delay elections further.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan met with Tshisekedi last week and stressed in speeches during his visit to the country that the elections must be as inclusive as possible, a condition of the 2002 peace deals that Tshisekedi signed.

Elections were initially set to occur by June 2005, but poor planning and legislative problems delayed the vote. Officials then set a March deadline and finally decided on the June date in February.

The voting is being organized by a transitional government that was established in 2003 following peace deals that ended the nation's devastating 1998-2002 war, a conflict that drew in armies from six nations. The transitional constitution lapses June 30.

Congo, particularly eastern regions, remains restive, complicating plans for the vote. European Union governments last week agreed to send hundreds of troops in support of U.N. peacekeepers in Congo for the elections.

The mission, meant to back Congo police in keeping order during and after the vote, is due to deploy ahead of the expected June elections.

On a visit to the European Parliament Tuesday, the head of Congo's electoral commission, Apollinaire Malu-Malu, urged the EU to ensure the force is "well equipped ... to act as a proper deterrent." He said the EU force, which include about 450 soldiers in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, with around 1,000 outside the country on standby, will be expected to "stay for several months" after the election results are announced.

The European Parliament is also expected to send a team of election observers, EU officials said.

At the European Parliament, Malu-Malu also asked for funds to ensure voters have all necessary information ahead of the elections. He did not elaborate on the additional amount needed but called the US$40 million (euro33.3 million) budgeted insufficient. Malu-Malu also called for government authorities to make sure that all candidates get equal air time on radio stations.

Aide internationale : La Commission Européenne octroie cinq millions d'euros au Kenya pour faire face à la sécheresse

2006-03-28 - Source : Malango

La Commission européenne va débloquer cinq millions d'Euros (6,1 millions de dollars) pour venir en aide aux 3,5 millions Kenyans de la sécheresse et aux 500 000 écoliers, a annoncé Louis Michel, Commissaire européen au développement et à l'aide humanitaire, lors du 11e sommet des Chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement de l'Autorité intergouvernementale pour le développement (IGAD) qui s'est tenu à Nairobi, la capitale du Kenya. En février, le gouvernement Kenyan, les agences humanitaires de l'ONU et plusieurs ONG avaient déjà lancé un appel de fonds d'un montant de 245 millions de dollars pour aider les populations touchées par la sécheresse.
D'autre part, le Kenya va importer des céréales pour compenser la pénurie alimentaire qui affecte près de cinq millions de personnes dans le pays, a déclaré mardi le Président Mwai Kibaki, lors de l'ouverture de la nouvelle session parlementaire. Les stocks alimentaires distribués jusqu'à présent aux personnes nécessiteuses ont été achetés auprès des paysans, mais les réserves de céréales produites localement s'épuiseront d'ici juin prochain, ce qui justifie les importations de denrées alimentaires. "Nous prenons donc des mesures urgentes pour importer des stocks supplémentaires de céréales pour faire face à la pénurie", a-t-il déclaré. Le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) a affirmé qu'il tentait d'apporter une aide alimentaire aux 3,5 millions de Kenyans menacés de famine en raison de la sécheresse qui sévit dans la région.
En Afrique de l'est et dans la Corne de l'Afrique, près de 11 millions de personnes souffrent actuellement des effets de la sécheresse provoquée par une longue absence de pluies.

AFRIQUE DU SUD :

South Africa : Zuma's Lawyer Denies Saying Rape Accuser Was 'Planted'
March 29, 2006, Source : Sapa /jje/dag/hdw By ANDnetwork .com
Jacob Zuma's defence counsel on Wednesday denied having said that his rape accuser was "planted" as part of a conspiracy against him.
"It's never been a submission that she went there as a specific plant," said Kemp J Kemp, Zuma's lawyer.
He was responding to the State's argument on Tuesday that Kemp constantly raised questions about a political conspiracy while he was cross-examining State witnesses.
Kemp again raised the earlier evidence that she had spoken to National Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils about the alleged rape and to her friend who worked in Kasrils' office. The former deputy president's defence team are applying for his discharge on a count of rape.
Zuma is accused of raping a close family friend on November 2 last year in Johannesburg.
His supporters believe the rape charge and other corruption charges are part of a political conspiracy to take him out of the running for the presidency.

Police arrest five after South Africa airport heist
Wed Mar 29, 2006
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police have arrested five people in connection with a heist that saw gunmen seize bundles of cash that were being offloaded from an aircraft at Johannesburg's main airport, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said four men and one woman, including three employees of management firm Airports Company South Africa, had been arrested following Saturday's robbery, which local media said involved cash worth at least $16.5 million.

"The detectives recovered an undisclosed amount of money, two rifles, a pistol, a bolt cutter, magazines and ammunition," a police statement said, adding that two of those arrested were foreigners who were caught at South Africa's main border crossing into Zimbabwe.

The daring airport robbery was a new shock for crime-weary South Africa and spurred calls for increased security at Johannesburg International Airport, the country's main entry point for foreigners.

Police earlier said six to eight men armed with automatic rifles held up police and guards carrying money bags from a South African Airways plane after it arrived from London's Heathrow airport on Saturday morning.

No passengers were in danger since they had all left the aircraft before the robbery occurred, South African Airways said in a statement.

Police said the suspects faced possible charges of armed robbery and contravening South Africa's aviation laws, and said further arrests were possible.

Zambian business community yearns for S. Africa partnership

Source: Xinhua March 29, 2006

The business community of Zambia is keen to establish partnership with South African investors in setting up joint ventures in various areas, according to Times of Zambia on Wednesday.

It quoted Zambia Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) executive director Justine Chisulo as saying that the South African investors will bring into the partnership on the needed resources and business management skills that Zambians lack.

He told visiting South African Communist Party Secretary General Blade Nzimande that "We do need our colleagues from South Africa to come into joint partnership ventures with Zambians."

He said previously there had been fears on the part of Zambians that South African investors coming to Zambia would be transferring apartheid practices, but that the fears have been allayed and many investors of South African origin are doing well in the country.

Zambian Airways chairman Mute Nchito told Nzimande that there is a need to re-establish the linkage that South Africans and Zambians once shared so that they conduct business together to benefit their respective economies.

"South Africa is in a strong leadership position where it could actually play a role in reversing the problems of Africa," Nchito said.

Nzimande called on African countries to empower their citizens with both resources and skills to enable them to undertake profitable business ventures.

AFRIQUE / U A :

UPDATE 3-World Bank approves $37 billion debt write-off
Wednesday 29 March 2006 By Lesley Wroughton
WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - World Bank member nations on Tuesday approved a long-awaited $37 billion debt relief package for 17 impoverished countries that included ways to compensate the development lender for the write-off.

The approval brings to an end months of tough negotiations among the World Bank's biggest donors over how to fund future loans by the bank's low-interest lending arm, the International Development Association.

The 40-year term of debt cancellation will begin on July 1. It will cover debt service payments of the 17 countries to the World Bank on debt accumulated to the end of December 2003, allowing governments to increase spending on programs that reduce poverty.

"This is a historic agreement combining increased financing with debt relief, which will help poor countries meet the Millennium Development Goals," World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said.

The package covers countries that graduated from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, or HIPC, a global debt relief plan approved in 1996 that was based on good economic performance.

Mauritania would not be covered under Tuesday's decision until its government strengthens its public expenditure management, a World Bank official said. However, the country could still qualify by July.

The bank had received firm commitments from donor countries to cover 60 percent of the costs for the full 40-year term, while the rest "will have to be dealt with over time," the official said.

Some donors had worried that the debt cancellation would compromise the capacity of the IDA facility to keep lending to the bank's poorest borrower countries.

"It is very difficult for governments to make commitments over 40 years," the official said. "It's a good start and time will of course tell what will happen."

Among the countries to benefit are Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guyana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Mali, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Honduras, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia and Madagascar.

More countries could become eligible for debt relief under the HIPC scheme once the World Bank and International Monetary Fund decide who qualifies.

The World Bank board is expected to discuss the issue on April 6.

12 African countries get financial support on UPE

Libreville, Gabon, 03/29/2006- ANGOP- Twenty countries, including 12 from Africa are receiving increased financial and technical support for their education programmes under the global "Education for All - Fast Track Initiative (FTI)" to assist developing nations achieve one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - Universal Primary Education (UPE), by 2015.

According to a report distributed by FTI communication official Abby Spring, at the ongoing 7th Biennial Meeting for African education stakeholders in Libreville, 14 more African nations are expected to sign on to the initiative by 2007.

The report also showed that eight other countries on the continent have indicated interest, but are yet to give the dates they will join the initiative.

African countries with FTI-endorsed, country-led programmes are Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique and Niger.

Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Mali, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal are expected to be endorsed by the first half of 2006 while Angola, Chad, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Zambia will come on board in 2007.

Central African Republic, Eritrea, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Togo have not indicated the dates of their endorsement.

To receive FTI-endorsement, a country must have a poverty-reduction strategy and a sound education sector plan that addresses key challenges to accelerating UPE in areas of policy, data, capacity and financing.

An FTI-endorsement signals to the international community, including potential investors, that a country`s education plan is sound, sustainable and therefore a good investment.

The Washington-based FTI, was launched in 2002, and groups major donors for education - more than 30 bilateral, regional and international agencies and development banks.

UN /ONU :

OCHA : Jan Egeland entamera jeudi prochain une tournée en Afrique
Jan Egeland - www.un.org
28 mars 2006 – Le Secrétaire général adjoint aux affaires humanitaires et Coordonnateur des secours d'urgence, Jan Egeland, entamera jeudi une mission de neuf jours en Ouganda, au Soudan, au Tchad et au Kenya, a indiqué aujourd'hui la porte-parole du Secrétaire général.

« En Ouganda, Jan Egeland a prévu de se rendre dans le Nord pour évaluer en personne la situation des personnes déplacées », a précisé Marie Okabe, lors de son point de presse quotidien, au siège de l'ONU, à New York.

Le conflit entre le gouvernement ougandais et l'Armée de résistance du Seigneur (Lord's Resistance Army, LRA), groupe armé connu pour ses activités sanguinaires dans le nord de l'Ouganda, qui dure depuis 19 ans, a provoqué le déplacement de plus de 2 millions de personnes (dépêche du 21.11.05 sur la situation humanitaire dans le pays et sur les attaques de la LRA).

Lors d'un exposé au Conseil de sécurité sur la situation en Afrique, en décembre dernier, Jan Egeland avait déploré que « l'accès aux personnes déplacées par le personnel humanitaire se soit détérioré lors des derniers mois », rappelant que les conditions de vie dans les camps de déplacés restaient très difficiles (dépêche du 19.12.05).

« Jan Egeland se rendra ensuite dans le sud du Soudan, à Juba, ainsi que dans le sud du Darfour. Au Tchad, il a prévu de visiter un camp de réfugiés soudanais situé dans l'Est du pays», a précisé aujourd'hui la porte-parole du Secrétaire général.

Toujours au mois de décembre, Jan Egeland avait déploré, qu'au Soudan les restrictions à l'accès humanitaire étaient désormais aussi graves qu'en avril 2004, date de son premier compte-rendu au Conseil de sécurité.

« Nous devons prendre conscience de la terrible réalité dont nos collègues sont témoins sur le terrain. Les meurtres n'ont pas cessé. Les viols, les déplacements forcés et les pillages, dont je vous avais parlé pour la première fois il y a 20 mois, continuent », avait déploré le responsable des affaires humanitaires devant le Conseil de sécurité.

Depuis lors, et tandis que se poursuivent les négociations en vue de l'envoi d'une opération de maintien de la paix des Nations Unies au Darfour, l'agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés a annoncé début mars une réduction de 44% du budget de ses opérations dans la région en raison de la détérioration des conditions de sécurité, qui limite considérablement son action.

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