Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 09:48:26 -0400
From: "AFRICAHOME.COM" <africah-AT-africahome.com>
Subject: ANN News digest April 17-18


Dear friends:

Here is your Africa Newswire Network (ANN) news digest for April 17-18.
Links to the news articles are provided below for your convenience.

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NEWS BEGIN------------------------------

POLL: What is the best way of solving the Zimbabwean crisis? - Take our
Africa Poll on the Afroca Newswire Network
HEADLINES
Burundian Hutu Rebels Seize Eastern Congo Town 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/buru_huturebels418.shtml
John Kwesi
Bujumbura, BURUNDI (ANN, April 18, 2000) - Burundian Hutu rebels and Mai
Mai militiamen fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) have seized the town of Lemera. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/buru_huturebels418.shtml
 

OPINION - The Zimbabwean Land Issue: No room for Afro-pessimism 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo_afropessimism418.shtml
A .B. Bodomo
Hong Kong (ANN, April 18, 2000) - The reality of the Zimbabwean
situation is that after 20 years of independence in 1980, the best parts
of Zimbabwean land is still occupied by white settlers of British
origin, many of whom still cling onto British passports. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo_afropessimism418.shtml
 

AFRICA- UN: The sanctions decade, new book says 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/afer_unsanctionsbook418.shtml
(IRIN)
New York, United Nations (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - Over the past
decade the UN Security Council has imposed comprehensive or partial
sanctions on 12 different countries - six times as often as in its
previous 45 years. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/afer_unsanctionsbook418.shtml
 

DRC: Airport blast inquiry to consider sabotage 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_airportsabotage418.shtml
(IRIN)
Kinshasa, DR Congo (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - Government Information
Minister Didier Mumengi said on Sunday the DRC could not rule out
sabotage or rebel involvement in Friday's string of explosions at
N'Djili Airport, Kinshasa, which have claimed more than 100 lives and
left over 200 injured according to media reports. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_airportsabotage418.shtml
 

OPINION - The Zimbabwean Land Issue: Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai should never
go to London again 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo417.shtml
A. B. Bodomo
Hong Kong, China (ANN, April 17, 2000) - Zimbabwe's main opposition
leader, Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, was reported to have met with the British
Foreign Secretary to ask for British support in opposing President
Robert Mugabe's stance on the land issue and to ultimately replace him
as Zimbabwe's president. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo417.shtml

POLITICS

Gambian Student Violence: President Orders Inquiry 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/gamb_violenceinquiry418.shtml
Samuel B. Jegede
Banjul, GAMBIA (ANN, April 18, 2000) - President Yayah Jammeh on Sunday
addressed the nation on last week's two-day student violent
demonstrations that left 12 people dead and much government-owned
buildings severely damaged or completely burnt. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/gamb_violenceinquiry418.shtml
 

DRC: Ceasefire agreement 'generally holding', JMC says 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_ceasefireholding418.shtml
(ANN)
Kinshasa, DR Congo (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - A ceasefire between
combatants in the DRC conflict has been generally holding since it came
into effect on Friday, 14 April, the Joint Military Commission (JMC)
charged with implementing the Lusaka peace agreement stated on Monday.
-  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_ceasefireholding418.shtml
 

DR Congo: Former rebel official apologises for war 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_rebelapologizes418.shtml
(ANN)
Kinshasa, DR Congo (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - Alexis Thambwe-Mwamba,
a founding member of the rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la
democratie (RCD) in Goma, has apologised to the Congolese people for the
war and said he was now willing to meet President Kabila to bring peace
to the country. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_rebelapologizes418.shtml
 

NAMIBIA: Six killed in UNITA attacks 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/nam_sixkilledunita418.shtml
(ANN)
Windhoek, Namibia (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - Six people were killed
in Rundu, northeast Namibia on Saturday when suspected members of
Angola's rebel movement UNITA attacked the Thikanduko village in two
separate incidents, Reuters reports said on Monday. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/nam_sixkilledunita418.shtml
 

Moroccan King Acquires Superstar Status 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/moroc_kingsuperstar417.shtml
Joshua E. Ukoh
Rabat, MOROCCO (ANN, April 17, 2000) - King Mohammed VI of Morocco and
just 36 years old is fast acquiring a superstar status, bestowed on him
by his people, who see him as their savior. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/moroc_kingsuperstar417.shtml
 

Paul Kagame Set to Become Rwandan President 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/rwan_kagamepresident417.shtml
John Kwesi
Kigali, RWANDA (ANN, April 17, 2000) - ajor-General Paul Kagame is set
to become Rwandan's new President as a joint meeting of the Parliament
and the cabinet elects a replacement for former President Pascal
Bizimungu who recently resigned. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/rwan_kagamepresident417.shtml
 

NIGERIA: Obasanjo's Row with Legislators over NDDC Bill Deepens 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ng_rowdeepens417.shtml
Joseph Amenaghawon
Abuja, NIGERIA (ANN, April 17, 2000) - The row between the presidency
and legislators over the Niger Delta Development Bill (NDDC) deepened
last week, going by reports coming from Abuja. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ng_rowdeepens417.shtml
 

Zimbabwean Opposition Vows to Oust Mugabe in Election 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_oppositionvows417.shtml
Etieyibo E. Edwin
Harare, ZIMBABWE (ANN, April 17, 2000) - Zimbabwe's opposition said on
Wednesday that should it win the upcoming parliamentary elections,
President Robert Mugabe could be out of office well before the end of
his term in 2002. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_oppositionvows417.shtml

OPINION
OPINION - The Zimbabwean Land Issue: No room for Afro-pessimism 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo_afropessimism418.shtml
A .B. Bodomo
Hong Kong (ANN, April 18, 2000) - The reality of the Zimbabwean
situation is that after 20 years of independence in 1980, the best parts
of Zimbabwean land is still occupied by white settlers of British
origin, many of whom still cling onto British passports. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo_afropessimism418.shtml
 

OPINION - The Zimbabwean Land Issue: Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai should never
go to London again 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo417.shtml
A. B. Bodomo
Hong Kong, China (ANN, April 17, 2000) - Zimbabwe's main opposition
leader, Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, was reported to have met with the British
Foreign Secretary to ask for British support in opposing President
Robert Mugabe's stance on the land issue and to ultimately replace him
as Zimbabwe's president. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_bodomo417.shtml


OPINION: Hands off Mugabe, hands off Zimbabwe 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/bodomo_handsoff416.shtml
A. B. Bodomo
Hong Kong (ANN, April 16, 2000) - The Zimbabwe soap opera reached an
exciting moment recently. The main theme is how to get back African land
from the greedy grips of white settlers. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/bodomo_handsoff416.shtml


ECONOMY

ZIMBABWE: Mugabe reassures farmers 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_mugabereassures418.shtml
(IRIN)
Harare, Zimbabwe (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - President Robert Mugabe
of Zimbabwe on Monday assured the country's farmers that he will seek an
end to the occupation of white-owned farms by war veterans and their
followers. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_mugabereassures418.shtml
 

French Firm Wins Oil Contract in Ivory Coast 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/cdi_frenchfirmcontract416.shtml
Joseph Amenaghawon
Abidjan, IVORY COAST (ANN, April 16, 2000) - Bouygues Offshore, a French
oil services company said last week its 50% owned unit Saibos had won a
$40 million contract with Ranger Oil in Ivory Coast to supply an oil
platform and lay pipelines. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/cdi_frenchfirmcontract416.shtml
 

Chadian Government Approves Doba Oil Project Consortium 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/chad_oilproject416.shtml
Samuel B. Jegede
N'djamena, CHAD (ANN, April 16, 2000) - The Chadian government has
approved changes to the consortium to develop the Doba Oil project in
the south of the country, paving the way for the World Bank to approve
its share of funding for the ventures. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/chad_oilproject416.shtml
 

SOUTH AFRICA: IMF forecasts high growth 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sa_highgrowth415.shtml
(ANN)
Johannesburg, South Africa (ANN, April 15, 2000 - IRIN) - The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the South African economy to
grow at a rate of between 3.8 percent and 4 percent over 2000 and 2001,
news reports said. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sa_highgrowth415.shtml


SOCIETY

111 Killed by Cyclones in Madagascar 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/mada_cyclone418.shtml
Etieyibo E. Edwin
Antananarivo, MADAGASCAR (ANN, April 18, 2000) - The death toll in
Madagascar due to the cyclone that swept the country claimed 111 lives,
left some 300,000 in perilous conditions and caused an estimated $145
million worth of damage, the government has announced. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/mada_cyclone418.shtml
 

47 Foreigners Bag Nigerian Citizenship 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ng_citizenship418.shtml
Joseph Amenaghawon
Abuja, NIGERIA (ANN, April 18, 2000) - Vice President Atiku Abubakar has
given forty-seven foreigners, including 26 Lebanese, certificates of
naturalization. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ng_citizenship418.shtml
 

Famine Stricken Kenyan-Somali Border Town of El-Work Comes Under Sharia
Law 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ken_somtownsharia418.shtml
Olu Aladesida
Nairobi, KENYA (ANN, April 18, 2000) - The town of El-Work on the
Kenyan-Somali border is one of the worst hit areas in the famine
stricken horn of Africa. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ken_somtownsharia418.shtml
 

17 Die in Clashes in Lafia, Nigeria 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ng_clasheslafia417.shtml
Samuel B. Jegede
Nasarawa, NIGERIA (ANN, April 17, 2000) - A violent clash this Monday
between the police and youths in Lafia Local government of Nasarawa
state northern Nigeria has led to the death of 17 people. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ng_clasheslafia417.shtml
 

Zimbabwean Land Crisis: 3 More Added to Death Toll 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_deathtoll417.shtml
Etieyibo E. Edwin
Harare, ZIMBABWE (ANN, April 17, 2000) - Violence again erupted over the
weekend in Zimbabwe as the contentious land crisis continues to stir up
clashes between opposition members, white farmers, squatters and war
veterans. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_deathtoll417.shtml
 

ZIMBABWE: Whites Give Away Farmlands 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_whitegive_awayland416.shtml
Etieyibo E. Edwin
Harare, ZIMBABWE (ANN, April 16, 2000) - Embattled white farmers in
Zimbabwe have begun signing away parts of their property free to
invading farmer guerrillas, a war veteran leader said on Tuesday. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/zim_whitegive_awayland416.shtml
 

Guns Kill 800 Children Annually in South Africa 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sa_gunskillchildren416.shtml
Etieyibo E. Edwin
Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA (ANN, April 16, 2000) - Reports indicate that
not less than 800 children are killed by gunfire in South Africa each
year, an anti-gun activist told a parliamentary committee, saying that
schools should be declared gun-free zones. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sa_gunskillchildren416.shtml


INTERNATIONAL

KENYA: UN conference on endangered species keeps bans ivory trade 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ken_unconference_banivory418.shtml
(ANN)
Nairobi, Kenya (ANN, April 18, 2000) - Governments at a United Nations
forum on trade in endangered species voted to reject proposals by Japan
and Norway for resuming trade in certain whale populations. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ken_unconference_banivory418.shtml
 

Funds needed urgently to improve health in Africa, UN panel told 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/afer_fundsneeded418.shtml
(ANN)
New York, United Nations (ANN, April 18, 2000) - Two African ministers
of health and a top official from the United Nations World Health
Organization (WHO) on Monday stressed the need for urgent political and
financial commitment by the international community to improve the
health situation in Africa. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/afer_fundsneeded418.shtml
 

WFP launches effort to improve access to drought-stricken areas in Horn
of Africa 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/horn_droughtwfp418.shtml
(ANN)
New York, United Nations (ANN, April 18, 2000) - The United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday announced a $4 million emergency
logistics operation to rehabilitate the main transport corridor from
Djibouti to drought-affected areas throughout the Horn of Africa. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/horn_droughtwfp418.shtml
 

DR Congo: Kinshasa airport incident must not affect disengagement
accord: Kofi Annan 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_airportincident418.shtml
(ANN)
New York, United Nations (ANN, April 18, 2000) - Secretary-General Kofi
Annan on Monday expressed the hope that last Friday's tragic incident at
the Kinshasa airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will not
affect the implementation of the disengagement plan. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_airportincident418.shtml
 

Burundi Peace Committee Reconvenes 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/buru_peacecommittee418.shtml
John Kwesi
Bujumbura, BURUNDI (ANN, April 18, 2000) - Burundian peace delegates
have returned for negotiations, expected to last one week, on Burundi's
future system of government, the Independence News Agency Hirondella
reported. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/buru_peacecommittee418.shtml
 

DR Congo-OAU: Financial problems affecting Masire's efforts 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_oaufinancial_problems418.shtml
(ANN)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - OAU
Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim and DRC talks' facilitator, former
Botswana president Ketumile Masire, have said that efforts to organise
inter-Congolese negotiations faced 'financial and logistic problems', an
OAU press release stated. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_oaufinancial_problems418.shtml
 

DR Congo: UK provides technical adviser to facilitator 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_uktechnicaladvisor418.shtml
(ANN)
Gaborone, Botswana (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - The United Kingdom on
Friday said it had offered a technical adviser to the facilitator to
assist him in all aspects of the inter-Congolese negotiations. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_uktechnicaladvisor418.shtml
 

DR Congo: G-77 urged to apply pressure on 'aggressors' 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_g77urged418.shtml
(ANN)
Havana, Cuba (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - Foreign Minister Abdoulaye
Yerodia on Friday appealed to leaders of developing nations attending
the Group of 77 summit to pressure DRC's three 'aggressor countries'. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/drc_g77urged418.shtml
 

SOUTH AFRICA: Mbeki to visit Zimbabwe 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sa_mbekivisit_zim418.shtml
(ANN)
Johannesburg, South Africa (ANN, April 18, 2000 - IRIN) - South African
President Thabo Mbeki is to pay a state visit to Zimbabwe in the first
week of next month, presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana announced on
Monday. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sa_mbekivisit_zim418.shtml
 

Annan's Views on Drought in Ethiopia Faulted 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ethiop_annanviews417.shtml
Olu Aladesida
Addis-Ababa, ETHIOPIA (ANN, April 17, 2000) - The Ethiopian Minister of
Foreign Affairs in a press release expressed the Ethiopian government's
surprise at statements credited to the United Nations Secretary General,
Kofi Annan, regarding the current drought emergency in that country and
the conflict with Eritrea. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/ethiop_annanviews417.shtml
 

Canada Supports UN Human Rights Resolution against Sudan 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sud_canada_resolution417.shtml
Tony Allison
Khartoum, SUDAN (ANN, April 17, 2000) - Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian Foreign
Minister said that Canada has co-sponsored a resolution on human rights
abuses in Sudan by the United Nations. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/sud_canada_resolution417.shtml


SCI-TECH

Egypt Mounts Hi-tech Show for 3,000 - Year Old Temple 
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/egypt_hitechshow416.shtml
Joshua E. Ukoh
Cairo, EGYPT (ANN, April 16, 2000) - Egypt is staging a hi-tech show to
revive the glory of the 3,000-year-old temple Ramses II at Abu Simbel,
using computer simulation to set the four giant statues ablaze with
their long-faded colors. -  
http://www.africanewswire.com/stories/egypt_hitechshow416.shtml

NEWS END------------------------

---------------------------------
The Editors
Africa Newswire Network (ANN)
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