Africa

Algeria

AFP 2 Nov 2001 Thousands of Berbers hold rally in Algeria IGHIL IMOULA, Tens of thousands of ethnic Berbers on Thursday took part in a peaceful protest march in the troubled Kabylie region in northeastern Algeria to press Algiers to cede to their political demands. The march, which covered around 10 kilometres between the villages of Ouadhias and Ighil Imoula, was called by Berber tribal and village councils to keep up the pressure on the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Among Berber demands are the official recognition of their language Tamazight, an economic recovery plan for Kabylie, decent unemployment benefits, the departure of gendarmes from their communities, and compensation for victims and their families injured in police-related violence. By ending the march in Ighil Imoula - the village where the National Liberation Front on November 1, 1954 issued a declaration sparking the war of independence against the colonial power, France - the protesters wanted to show the government that Algiers could not stake sole claim to important dates and places in Algeria's war of independence. Heading Thursday's march, Berber youths carried Algerian flags on a black background to indicate they were in mourning for the scores of Berbers who have died since the protest movement in Kabylie began last April when a Berber youth was killed in police custody.

Angola

IRIN 21 Nov 2001 Condemnation of new policy on UNITA "collaborators" JOHANNESBURG- Namibia's National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has condemned a warning by Defence Minister Erkki Nghimtina that anybody found "collaborating" with Angolan UNITA rebels would be shot on sight. In a statement released on Wednesday, NSHR condemned as unconstitutional "the pronounced policy of shoot-on-sight anyone perceived to be collaborating with the alleged enemies". Nghimtina reportedly made the remarks at the weekend in the insecure northern Kavango region, which borders Angola. According to Namibian national radio, Nghimtina issued the warning that "enemies" would be shot when addressing a consultative meeting of government officials, representatives of the private sector, and regional and traditional leaders, the NSHR statement said. According to the NSHR, the minister's comments have provided credence to the human rights group's allegations that Namibian forces in southeast Angola had carried out "massacres, enforced disappearances and summary executions" of civilians suspected of siding with UNITA. Namibian troops operate inside Angola in a bid to prevent the rebels from crossing into Kavango. As a result of Windhoek's support for the Angolan government, UNITA has stepped up raids across the porous border, which have included the laying of landmines. Angola's southeastern Cuando Cubango province bordering Namibia has historically been a key base for the UNITA movement. The Namibian government has long suspected that UNITA raids are assisted by "collaborators" in the Kavango, a region in which kinship ties straddle the border.

Burundi

BBC 6 Nov 2001 Burundi killings shatter peace hopes South African peacekeepers are in Bujumbura A total of 35 civilians have been killed by Hutu rebels in two incidents on Monday, according to military sources. The attacks come just days after the inauguration of a new government, which shares power between ethnic Hutus and Tutsis. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the eight-year civil war. Front for the Defence of Democracy rebels killed 24 civilians, including women and children, in attacks on southern Bururi province, south-east of Bujumbura. Mandela brokered a deal but failed to secure a ceasefire Earlier, the FDD ambushed three cars in Ruyigi Province, east of Bujumbura, killing 11 passengers. Three soldiers were killed in violence at the weekend. Nearly all political parties are represented in the new cabinet but the FDD and another Hutu rebel group have rejected a ceasefire agreement and vowed to continue their war against the Tutsi-dominated army. Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who has spent two years seeking to bring peace to Burundi, portrayed the new government as a vital step towards ending the fighting. But he became increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress towards a ceasefire and has now stepped down as mediator. Ethnic tension Burundian President Pierre Buyoya, who is a Tutsi, will remain in office for the first 18 months before handing over to a Hutu. Hutus and Tutsis have shared out cabinet posts In the new cabinet 14 out of the 26 portfolios went to Hutus and 12 to Tutsis. The Tutsis hold the positions of defence, foreign affairs and finance whilst the Hutus keep the ministries of public security and interior. The Tutsi minority has dominated Burundi politics for nearly 40 years. The war between a Tutsi-dominated government and Hutu rebels was started in 1993 following the death of an elected Hutu president. Students snatched in Burundi South African peacekeepers are in Bujumbura A large group of male students have been kidnapped in the second mass abduction in Burundi by Hutu rebels in a week. Burundi army spokesman Augustin Nzabampema said the army was pursuing the rebels and their captives after the dawn raid on a school in northwestern Kayanza Province. It is feared that the pupils, aged between 16 and 21, are either intended to be trained as rebel soldiers or to be used as human shields in case of any army attacks. Local official Come Hatungimana told Reuters by telephone that the rebels made off with somewhere between 250 and 300 pupils in total. And he said that only four boys evaded capture, but there is no independent confirmation of this figure. The army is already searching for more than 50 children aged between 10 and 16 and some of their teachers abducted from their primary school on Tuesday in Ruyigi Province. Fighting has intensified in Burundi since the swearing in last week of a new government which shares power between the deeply divided Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. Fighting On Thursday, the army said their troops had killed 162 rebels in five days of fighting in Ruyigi and Bururi provinces. Mandela failed to secure a ceasefire The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire. The UN Security Council issued a statement saying that armed rebellion was an unacceptable means of political expression after the installation of the new government. But our East Africa correspondent says that the rebels' brutal tactic of kidnapping children is a clear signal that they have no intention of laying down their arms any time soon. The two Hutu rebel groups, who remain outside the peace process, have been fighting against the minority Tutsi dominated army since 1993. Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, who mediated the peace deal, had expressed the hope that they would join the power-sharing arrangement which leads to democratic elections in three years time. He spent more than two years trying to end the fighting but became increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress towards a ceasefire. He stepped down as mediator when the transitional government was inaugurated. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the eight-year civil war.

Times (UK) 5 Nov 2001 Burundi hopes fade as Hutus reject ceasefire BY MICHAEL DYNES. DESPITE a ground-breaking agreement signed in July and the swearing in of a power-sharing Government on Thursday, Burundi’s hopes of ending eight years of violence in which more than 250,000 have died still hang by a thread. The two main rebel groups in the small Central African state have refused to accept a ceasefire, diplomats said yesterday. Three government soldiers were killed and two wounded in an ambush on Saturday by Hutu rebels near the capital Bujumbura. The three-year interim administration, inaugurated by Nelson Mandela, the former South African President, aims to give the majority Hutu people a greater say in the Government, which has been dominated by the minority Tutsis since the country gained independence from Belgium in 1962. But it faces a mammoth task in ending ethnic fighting, unravelling the deep mistrust that exists between the two communities while at the same time creating a more balanced army by bringing in more Hutus. About 1,400 South African troops will be sent to Bujumbura in an effort to bolster security for politicians returning from exile. But with the two Hutu rebel groups refusing to end the war, and Tutsi extremists calling on their supporters to attack the South Africans, many observers fear that there will be no end to the blood-letting. Under the new interim Government, President Buyoya, a Tutsi soldier who seized power during a coup in 1996, will stay in power for the next 18 months. Domitien Ndayizeye, a Hutu, has been named Vice-President. Mr Ndayizeye will become President for the second half of the three-year administration, while Mr Buyoya has agreed to step down. Hutus, who make up 84 per cent of the population, have been given 14 out of 26 Cabinet posts, including the Ministries of Public Security and the Interior. As part of the new arrangements, 60 per cent of the National Assembly’s seats will be reserved for Hutus, while a new Senate will be made up of prominent citizens from both ethnic groups. Elections have been scheduled for 2004. Mr Ndayizeye has said that contacts have already been made with the Hutu rebels in a bid to draw them into the ceasefire arrangements. The Hutus insist, however, that they were not consulted when the so-called Arusha peace accords were signed, and have no intention of abiding by their provisions. Failure to bring the rebels on board within the next 18 months is widely expected to lead to the collapse of the new Government. The war between the Tutsi-dominated Government and the majority Hutu rebels was triggered in 1993 with the assassination by Tutsi soldiers of Melchior Ndadaye, Burundi’s first elected Hutu President. The assassination unleashed a wave of bloody reprisals and counter-reprisals against Hutu and Tutsi civilians by Hutu rebels and Tutsi soldiers. When Mr Ndadaye’s successor, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was also assassinated with President Habyarimana of Rwanda in 1994, the Hutus began their genocide against Rwanda’s Tutsi minority, which deepened Burundi’s ethnic divide. In the civil war, Bujumbura was ethnically cleansed of Hutus, while in the rural areas hundreds of thousands of Hutu civilians were rounded up by the Tutsi military into concentration camps. Mr Mandela replaced Julius Nyerere as the Burundian conflict’s mediator after the death of the former Tanzanian President in 1999. South African military officials quietly admit that Pretoria is taking a huge gamble by using its soldiers to bolster Burundi’s fragile peace. Bujumbura is a long way from Pretoria, and if the South African forces come under attack from Tutsi or Hutu extremists, it will be hard pressed to defend it. South Africa hopes to withdraw its forces by next June. But most analysts predict that so early a withdrawal is unlikely. While Belgium and the European Union have agreed to pay the £108 million cost of deploying South African troops to protect the transitional Government, the United Nations Security Council has been unable to authorise the African peacekeeping operation formally because of the refusal of the Hutu rebels to sign up to the ceasefire accords. Burundi factbox Population: 6.48 million. 93 per cent are subsistence farmers Capital: Bujumbura Ethnic make-up: 15 per cent Tutsi population have ruled for 40 years over the 84 per cent Hutu and 1 per cent Twa populations Languages: Kirundi and French are the official languages Economy: Coffee accounts for 80 per cent of exports History: After the Second World War the United Nations transferred the former German colony of Ruanda-Urundi to Belgian rule. Gained independence in 1962 as Burundi Conflict: Since 1993 the first two elected Presidents have both been assassinated; about one million Hutus and Tutsis have become refugees and more than 250,000 people have died.

SMH 2 Nov 2001 'Slow genocide' set to end as Hutus, Tutsis share power in Mandela pact Tutsis and Hutus were expected to join a new power-sharing government in Burundi yesterday under a peace deal brokered by Nelson Mandela to end the country's "slow genocide" and bitter history of de facto apartheid. But the new administration faces an uncertain beginning, with two Hutu rebel groups refusing to end an eight-year civil war and Tutsi extremists calling on supporters to attack hundreds of South African troops assigned to protect Hutu politicians recently returned from exile. Mr Mandela described the deal as "a breakthrough which will bring permanent peace and stability". About 300,000 people have died in the civil war since Tutsi soldiers murdered Burundi's first Hutu president eight years ago. Melchior Ndadaye's election by the Hutu majority, who form 85per cent of the population, had ended 30 years of one-party rule by the Tutsi minority. His assassination a few months later unleashed a bitter conflict in which civilians were the primary victims of Hutu rebels and Tutsi soldiers. Ndadaye's successor and Burundi's second Hutu president, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was assassinated with the Hutu president of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana, when their aircraft was shot down in April 1994. That unleashed the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda, which deepened the polarisation in Burundi. During Burundi's civil war, most Hutus in the capital, Bujumbura, were slaughtered. In rural areas, hundreds of thousands of Hutus were herded by the Tutsi military into what the government called protected villages and its opponents called concentration camps. Mr Mandela replaced Julius Nyerere as mediator in the conflict after the death of the former Tanzanian president two years ago and was able to cajole the 19 parties into talks. The new transitional government will sit for three years, with President Pierre Boyoya, a Tutsi soldier who has held office since a coup in 1996, remaining in charge for the first 18 months. He will be succeeded by his new deputy, Domitien Ndayizeye, the leader of the main Hutu party, Frodebu. Hutus will hold 14 cabinet posts, including the interior ministry and public security, which gives them control of the police. Tutsis will have 12 posts, include defence and finance.

Broad-based govt set up in Burundi BUJUMBURA, Nov 1: Burundi swore in a new power-sharing government Thursday, in a major step towards ending eight years of ethnic bloodshed that has left a quarter of a million people dead. Pierre Buyoya, who has led Burundi since seizing power in a 1996 coup, became the president for the first 18 months of the three-year transition regime. The regime aims to establish a more balanced cabinet, parliament and army, giving ethnic Hutus, who make up 83 percent of the population, more power. Tutsis, who make up 15 percent of the population, have dominated politics since independence from Belgium in 1962. Buyoya himself is a Tutsi. A leading Hutu opposition figure, Domitien Ndayizeye, was also sworn in on Thursday as vice president. He will become president during the second half of the administration. The post of vice president will then go to a Tutsi, although Buyoya has made it clear he will not take up this post. Elections are to be staged in three years time. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by former South African president Nelson Mandela, who oversaw two years of difficult negotiations to reach an accord. "A breakthrough is happening today. I always told my colleagues not to be pessimistic. Let's not let the armed wings hold this peace process to ransom," Mandela said. The country's two main rebel movements, the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) and the National Liberation Forces (FNL), have still not agreed to a ceasefire. The new government's biggest challenge will be to stem the fighting in the country. Mandela said the two rebel groups were ready to negotiate with the government.

Central African Republic

IRIN 16 Nov 2001 Priests Held in Connection With Coup Are Released, Nairobi Two priests held in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital, Bangui, in connection with the failed coup of 28 May have been released. The Roman Catholic news agency, MISNA, reported on Thursday that the Rev Tolino Falagoista, a 62 year-old Combonian missionary, from Correzzola, Italy, was in good health. Falagoista, director of Radio Notre Dame in Bangui and correspondent of MISNA, was released on Tuesday on condition that he not leave Bangui, AFP reported. He was arrested in mid-October, accused of writing a story in June regarding mass executions of Yakomas which also referred to the existence of three mass graves and warned that the CAR was heading towards extermination and genocide. Falagoista denied the charges and was released pending further investigation of his case. The Rev Julien Koyenguia of the Berberati diocese was released last week, AFP reported, by the committee set up to investigate the thwarted putsch. He was arrested on 2 Sept., accused of preaching violence and tribal hatred in his sermons and of sheltering some of those behind the attempted putsch. Koyenguia is a Yakoma, the ethnic group of failed coup mastermind and former CAR president Andre Kolingba. The failed coup and subsequent 10 days of fighting claimed 59 lives, according to an official toll - though many more according to witnesses. Forces loyal to CAR President Ange-Felix Patasse managed to repel the offensive, with military support from Libya and the Mouvement pour la liberation du Congo, the armed resistance movement of businessman Jean-Pierre Bemba in northwestern DRC.

Egypt

Inter press Sevice 16 Nov 2001 Christians caught in the middle By Kim Ghattas CAIRO - When US President George W Bush used the word "crusade", they froze in their chairs, even if they realized it was not meant literally. When Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, reminded the world of his 1998 pledge to pursue a holy war against Christians and Jews, Middle Eastern Christians started wondering where that left them. In Cairo, the family of Adel Karras feels somewhat stuck in the middle. On September 18, one of their relatives, another Adel Karras, was shot dead in his grocery store in Los Angeles. Karras looked Arab and his shop was near a mosque. Nothing was stolen from his store and his death is being investigated as a hate crime by Los Angeles police. Presumably, the attackers were venting their anger on Muslims, whom they saw as responsible for the September 11 attacks. What they did not know was that Karras, a father of three, was Christian, a Copt from Egypt. But the Karras family, and the Coptic community at large, also fear that the strikes against Afghanistan could make them proxy targets for those angry at the West. The recent killing of 17 Christians in Pakistan has only added to that feeling. Christians in the Middle East, small and dwindling minorities from Iraq to Jordan and Syria, have been feeling a bit uneasy since September 11. "I hear them [Muslims] talking in the street," says Rafik Labib, a mourner at Karras' service in Cairo last week. "They don't know my religion and they say in front of me what they want to do to Christians. It sounds bad." Yet, explains Imad Jad from the al-Ahram center for strategic studies, a Copt himself, Egypt's Copts have long "fought against Western meddling in their affairs and refused foreign protection for fear of being singled out even more". With their own pope, Copts, who are thought to be direct descendants from the Pharaohs, represent about 14 percent of the Egyptian population and have endured for 1,400 years under Muslim rule. But it has not always been easy. Coptic participation in politics or in the army is microscopic and job discrimination is everywhere. The last intercommunal clash led to the killing of 20 Copts in 1998 in rural Egypt. "Christians have enough problems here - this war is the last thing they need," says Jad. He deplores the way the West deals with Christians in the Middle East, saying that complaints about discrimination are only brought up when it suits Western interests. "If there is suddenly a rise in discrimination or there are persecutions of Christians in a country that is allied to the US in this coalition, no one will say a thing or complain to the government about it," he says. In Lebanon, a country with the largest proportional Christian community in the Middle East, there is a feeling that for once it might be a good thing that there will be no special treatment for the Christians. Unlike Copts in Egypt, Maronite Christians in Lebanon have historical ties with the West that date back to the French mandate over Lebanon. "I don't think that there will be Muslim-Christian tensions, because this time we are all the same in the eyes of the US, all Arabs, all in the same bag," says Michele Maria, a young Christian from the predominantly Sunni city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon. But not everybody's heart is at rest. This month, two churches were attacked and a mosque was set on fire. Graffiti on the mosque's wall read "all Muslims are terrorists". The churches were in towns with a Muslim majority and the mosque in a predominantly Christian town. Incidents such as these are not unheard of in Lebanon, which suffered through a 15-year civil war, but at a time like this, the incidents are monitored carefully by the government which has already caught one of the church attackers. The Lebanese are taking it with a pinch of salt. In Furn el Chebbak, a Christian neighborhood of Beirut, the mood is still relaxed. "I don't feel worried but the community as a whole might be worried," says Kamil, 23, sitting in his grocery store. "Even in quiet times, there are parties in Lebanon who try to stir up trouble between Christians and Muslims for personal interests, so what about when there seems to be a war going on between the West and Muslims?" Christian clerics and Muslim sheikhs have sought to cool down tempers and call for understanding between the country's different communities during this precarious period. But drawing from its unfortunate experience of civil war and sectarian strife, Lebanon also has called on other countries to watch out for sectarian strife. After the Pakistan massacre, Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper's editorial said: "It all sounds very familiar to the Lebanese, and the record here might provide a road map to avoid the same deadly route." (Inter Press Service)

Reuters 11 Nov 2001 Syria extradites wanted Islamist to Egypt By Esmat Salaheddin CAIRO (Reuters) - Syria has extradited to Egypt one of its most wanted men, the former chief of the country's largest radical group, which gained notoriety for a tourist massacre in 1997, an Islamic pressure group has said. "The Syrian regime has committed a criminal act that contradicts basic human rights, by handing over Egyptian Islamist Refaie Ahmed Taha to the dictatorial regime in Egypt last month," the Islamic Observation Center (IOC) said. "Taha was arrested in Damascus several months ago, days after his arrival from Khartoum," the London-based group added in a statement faxed to Reuters in Cairo. Syrian and Egyptian officials were not immediately available for comment. Analysts said they had believed Taha, who would be the most senior Islamist extradited to Egypt in recent years, was hiding in Afghanistan, and were surprised by the alleged Syrian and Sudanese links. Taha, 47, headed al-Gama'a al-Islamiya (Islamic Group) when its members killed 58 foreign tourists and four Egyptians in the southern resort of Luxor in 1997. He had already been sentenced to death in absentia in the early 1990s by a military court, whose verdicts cannot be appealed, for extremist activities. Taha was considered among Egypt's most influential Islamists in exile. In 1997, Taha appeared on an official list of leading Muslim militants wanted by Egypt. He is not on a U.S. list of alleged terrorists issued after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS The IOC is run by Egyptian Yasser el-Serri, himself sentenced to death by an Egyptian military court for extremist Islamist activities. Serri, who was living in Britain in exile, is now in a London prison pending a criminal trial over five charges linked to terrorism. Sources close to Serri confirmed the statement was authentic and issued by the IOC. The hand-written statement urged "the world community and international governmental and non-governmental organisations that care about human rights to expeditiously intervene and pressure the Egyptian regime to reveal Taha's fate". Human rights advocates have voiced concern that Egypt was cracking down on critics, including Islamists, while the world's eyes were diverted following the attacks on the United States by suspected Muslim militants. Gama'a led a violent campaign from 1992 to 1997 to topple President Hosni Mubarak's government and set up a purist Islamic state. About 1,200 people were killed in the violence. Taha opposed a 1997 truce call issued by jailed colleagues and endorsed by Gama'a leaders in exile a year later. Since the Luxor massacre, Gama'a has been observing the ceasefire. Insiders say the ceasefire call was probably behind Taha's 1998 decision to step down as head of the group. Islamist sources said he still enjoyed high prestige and influence among militants. The statement said Taha had not carried out any activities within the Gama'a or any other group since his resignation.

Kenya

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation 23 Nov 2001 Paramilitary force deployed in clash-hit Tana River By John Muoki The paramilitary General Service Unit-GSU has deployed to the troubled Tana River district to quell ethnic fighting between two local communities. The area Officer Commanding Police Division-OCPD, Mr. Peter Muthike said the move was taken after the renewed clashes that resulted in the killings of 16 people in the last seven days. Two police reservists were shot dead by a group of 30 armed youths as the pasture wars between the Orman and pokomo entered the fifth day. Several other people were injured in a shootout between the reservists and raiders at Kilelengwani village, Kipini division.The raiders also escaped with a gun. They were armed with sophisticated assault rifles as well as other crude weapons including spears and machetes. Garsen District Officer Patrick Muli said, "Yes, it is true that the reservists were killed and the gun seized by the raiders but we are still waiting for more information from the field." The killers then threw the bodies of 35 year old Maulindi Kolde and 50 year old Wayama Hagasa into the crocodile infested River Tana. Tension and panic gripped Golbanti and Odha villages the whole of Wednesday following continuous gun shots by an unknown group of people. The shots, which were fired from different areas but targeting the two villages, prompted another 2000 people to flee their homes. The villagers sought refuge at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church. Children, women and the aged fled in fear of an attack and went to the church which is already accommodating some 2000 people. An African Inland Church (AIC) Pastor Pimston Maneno said they are now accommodating 4,000 people. “Right now there is a lot of panic among us because we do not know where the raiders will strike next. There is too much fear,” said Maneno. The pastor said police officers who had been deployed to the area had not traced anybody. “We cannot sleep as the security situation is not all that good despite the deployment of more security personnel,” he said. The area District Officer has called for calm in the area adding that the government was doing everything possible to see to it that peace was restored in the area. Pokomo and Orma communities are fighting over pasture and water points along the river Tana.

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation 22 Nov 2001 Stop fuelling tension in Tana River, DC tells clergy Web posted on:Thursday, November 22, 2001 By Richard Chacha Tana River District Commissioner James Waweru has told off religious leaders who are capitalizing on ethnic violence between the Pokomo and Orma that left fourteen people at the weekend. The DC asked members of the clergy not to make inflammatory statements over the Orma and Pokomo tribal clashes in the district. In a statement, Mr. Waweru claimed that some leaders were taking advantage of the clashes to gain media publicity. He singled out Anglican Church Bishop Julius Kalu who allegedly claimed in Mombasa that the clashes were politically instigated. Mr Waweru explained that the government was in control of the situation and humanitarian aid was being supplied to the clash victims camping at Tarasa Catholic Church. He announced that many people had returned to their homes and only 300 are camping at the church. The official said homes razed down by the attackers at Shrikisho village were being reconstructed. Mr Waweru also refuted allegations by Bishop Kalu that a lorry loaded with firearms had been apprehended and later released by the security forces in the clash area. More than 90 people have died in the clashes that started in March last year.

The East African Standard (Nairobi) 21 Nov 2001 'Guards Took Part in Tana River Raid' Caroline Mango Orma and Wardei homeguards from Golbanti village in Garsen constituency took part in the raid which saw the killing of 14 people including four minors. Survivors from Golbanti in Garsen constituency said they saw the heavily armed home-guards and called them by their names to save them from the attackers. They said others who were part of the gang were a group of youths from Golbanti village who the villagers claim they clearly identified. During the raid which lasted several hours on Monday morning, the Pokomos are said to have watched helplessly as the homeguards set their houses on fire in Golbanti village. "We called them by their names so that they could spare us because we have lived with them in the same area but instead they turned against us and killed our people," said the Pokomos camping at St. Catherine's Catholic church. Bura MP, Mr Mohammed Galgalo, said that the Government was to blame for the clashes as it had failed to arrest politicians who had made inflammatory statements. Galgalo who spoke to the East African Standard on the telephone from Nairobi said the Government has allowed politicians to preach tribalism in Tana River District. "The Government must first of all apprehend politicians who are known for inciting the Ormas and the Pokomos," said Galgalo. Recounting their ordeal, Mrs Jemimah William and Mr Lawi Jillo said they thought at first that the homeguards had gone to their rescue but later found out they were part of the more than 60-man gang. "We called them by their names as they are people we know and some of them tried to hide from our faces and went ahead to kill our loved ones and set ablaze our houses," said the victims.

IRIN 20 Nov 2001 Fourteen killed in Tana River clashes NAIROBI, Fourteen people were killed and 13 seriously injured in Tana River District, eastern Kenya, on Sunday when tensions between Orma and Pokomo communities over the use of land and water resources erupted into violence. Some 1,200 Pokomo agricuralists were forced to flee their homes to escape the fighting and sought sanctuary in a catholic mission in the village of Tarasaa, Pius Murithi, Assistant Development Coordinator for the international nongovernmental organisations Caritas told IRIN on Tuesday. Many Orma pastoralists had also moved away from the area to seek greater security among relatives elsewhere, Murithi added. Kenya Television Network (KTN) on Monday quoted police spokesman Peter Kimanthi as saying that eight of the dead were members of the Pokomo tribe, and six were Orma pastoralists. Some 80 Pokomo manyattas (dwellings) had also been set on fire, and over 50 armed police officers had been sent to the district to restore calm, Kimanthi said. "The security team that moved into the area was armed to the teeth and was forcing the [Orma] raiders to retreat into the hills," AFP quoted a local trader as saying. Murithi said violence had broken out following a misunderstanding as some Orma tribesmen were driving their cattle past a Pokomo settlement. The Pokomo thought they had come under attack and began fighting the pastoralists with machetes and spears, he said. "The tension between the two communities has been so high that they just needed a trigger," he added. Tension between the two communities rose sharply after the murder by Orma tribesman on Saturday, 17 November, of a Pokomo man as he was collecting firewood, according to Murithi. The man's sons, who had been accompanying their father, fled to a nearby Pokomo settlement and told villagers their father had been kidnapped; on returning to the spot where they had left the man, he was found to have been hacked to death, he added. While the Pokomo accuse the Orma of allowing their livestock encroach on their farms and destroying crops, the Orma complain that Pokomo farmlands are too close to the banks of the Tana River and prevent the herders from using the river to water their cattle. Some 70 people have now been killed over the last year as a result of repeated clashes between the communities, and Pokomo elders have claimed that the Orma have been accumulating firearms in preparation for more attacks. "The clashes will continue," Murithi said. "These are problems that will continue for ever." Following the deaths of four Pokomos during an Orma attack in October, Kenyan police and security forces began an operation to recover illegal firearms in the district. Murithi told IRIN, however, that the police had tried to rid the area of arms many times, but had always failed. "People will only give up their guns if the government can first guarantee their safety," he added. Caritas has recently joined together with several national and international agencies to establish a Local Peace Coordination Committee in Tana River District. According to Murithi, the Committee was working to involve both communities in development activities in the district. "We make them work together to see that their needs are not so different," he said.

The Nation (Nairobi) 20 Nov 2001 10 Killed in New Clashes Over Pasture By Patrick Mayoyo Ten people were reported killed and many others seriously injured following renewed fighting between pastoralists and farmers in Tana River district. A local pastor said they had died in fresh clashes between Orma and Wardei pastoralists on one hand and Pokomo farmers. They were two women and five children from Golbanti village, two other people from Tarasaa and a patient at Ngao hospital, said Pastor Pimson Maneno, of the African Inland Church at Tarasaa. Mr Abdul Mzee, assistant commissioner at Coast provincial police headquarters, Mombasa, initially put the death toll at five but said they were expecting an updated account from their officers in the area. The fighting began over the weekend when a Pokomo boy from Tarasaa disappeared and was later found dead. "Youths from Tarasaa blamed the killing on the pastoralists and sought revenge," said Pastor Maneno. The fighting escalated when an assistant chief opened fire on a group of Pokomo youths, injuring four of them, he said. Witnesses said at least 10 people were seriously injured and a number of houses razed as the warring groups exchanged fire. Some of those injured were admitted at Ngao and Malindi district hospitals. A joint security team from Garsen and Tarasaa deployed in the area to quell more skirmishes was repulsed by the heavily armed pastoralists and reinforcements from Tana River and Mombasa had been sent to the area. They included members of the General Service Unit and Administration Policemen and were accompanied by Tana River DC James Waeweru and the OCPD, Mr Peter Muthike. The perennial feuds pitting Pokomo farmers against the Orma and Wardei pastoralists centre on land and grazing rights. The pastoralists accuse the Pokomos of restricting their movement to water points and grazing, while Pokomos accuse the Orma and Wardei of grazing on their farms and destroying their crops. Efforts to resolve differences between the two groups have been unsuccessful because of what the provincial administration calls inflammatory statements from local politicians. The feud, lasting at least 10 years, erupted again in April this year, leaving scores dead on both sides and many injured, while property worth millions of shillings has been destroyed

The Nation (Nairobi) 2 Nov 2001US Has Shunned Us, Says Family of Terror Victim Wahome Thuku The family of a Kenyan killed in the terrorists attack in New York may not be compensated. The US embassy in Kenya has not told them of any financial compensation, the late Kaaria Mbaya's mother, Prof Vertistine Mbaya, said yesterday. "I have received condolences and goodwill messages from the US government but nothing on compensation," she said terming the silence by the US government as "very insensitive". Prof Mbaya said her children in the US were pursuing the issue. She was speaking to the Nation at the St Andrews Church in Nairobi, shortly after a solemn service for her son. The late Mbaya, 39, was a senior computer analyst with Cantor Fitzgerald based at the collapsed World Trade Centre and was among the 300 people whose bodies were recovered. His remains were cremated in the US and the ashes flown to Kenya for burial in Chogoria tomorrow. Addressing the congregation, Prof Mbaya said it was by the grace of God that her son's body was recovered. Prof Mbaya said financial support for the victims was being organised by individual organisations and humanitarian groups. She said the US government would compensate the victims in a bid to pre-empt any legal action against the airlines involved. The US government has set up a $21 billion compensation fund. Meanwhile, non governmental organisations have called for an immediate end to the military strikes against Afghanistan. Seventeen organisations meeting under the NGO Council condemned the attacks saying the US and its allies had disregarded all international legal structures and diplomatic means of resolving conflicts. Addressing the Press after a meeting in Nairobi, the organisations said the retaliation by the US following the September 11 terror attacks had resulted in "the murder of innocent civilians", abuse of human rights and breakdown of justice. "International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilians," said the council chairman Mr Oduor Ong'wen. "Be it locally or internationally, the civil society must advocate justice, rule of law and oppose violence." Mr Oduor said the military action had constrained the humanitarian relief in a country that proclaimed a history of wars, drought and human rights abuse. Among the organisations that filed the petition were the International Federation of Women Lawyer, Actionaid-Kenya, National Convention Executive Council, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, Muslim Consultative Council, Media Institute, Kituo cha Sheria and Femnet.

The Nation (Nairobi) OPINION 17 Nov 2001 Can We Be Our Brother's Keepers? A while ago, a mixed race Danish-Ghanaian friend told me this story: During the Second World War, the Nazi entered Denmark. When significant parts were under German occupation, the inevitable orders were issued. All Jewish Danes were henceforth to wear the yellow star arm bands. And, although less known, as everywhere under Germany occupation, all gays, the pink triangle arm bands. All lesbians and people with mental disabilities, the black triangle arm bands. And so on. For the easy identification and registration of all "defective" or "undesirable" people was, of course, the first step towards cordoning them off for easy removal and elimination. The day after the notices went up, the Danish king appeared in the streets of Copenhagen wearing a clearly visible, conspicuous, yellow star arm band. The people of Copenhagen wordlessly understood his message, his request of them. And the next day, all of Copenhagen's people turned out wearing the yellow star arm bands. Leadership can inspire action The story maybe apocryphal. But significantly smaller numbers of Jewish Danes were, indeed, subjected to genocide than Jewish people in other European nations and states under German occupation. Yet, regardless of the story's veracity, it moves me. For it reminds me that leadership can inspire action from people's natural impulses to be humane, can make the right ethical and moral choices in even the most adverse and unlikely of conditions. People can resist. People can be their brother's and sister's keepers. And it reminds me of interviews I did several years ago with survivors of the politically instigated clashes in Mount Elgon. One man had been badly injured, his skull cut open by the raiders. When he came to, in a hospital far from his home, he believed his entire family - his wife, his children - had been killed. Yet, by a strange twist of fate, a couple of years later, he was reunited with his family. They had not been killed but had run away believing he was dead. The striking - and shaming - thing about this man was that he held no bitterness, harboured no thoughts of revenge. He told me he knew his neighbours were not responsible. He knew they had tried to help once the raids, the rapes and the murders began. Last week I thought of the Danish king and all the Kenyan survivors of the clashes, discussing the latest, unbelievably greedy, selfish and short-sighted Government decision to destroy no less than 10 per cent of our remaining forest cover. The coalition of concerned civil society is already trying to point out what this means environmentally and economically, trying to organise to stop this destruction. But there is another aspect to the plan, which amounts to yet another more immediate extermination of Kenyans. For we seem to continually forget or gloss over - or even worse - simply not care about the fact that not all Kenyans are agricultural. Pastoralists have managed in recent years to push their concerns onto the national agenda. But forest-dwelling, hunter-gatherer peoples have not. Perhaps we have been too caught up with colonial and post-colonial land assertions and claims to begin to unravel what our own mythologies and oral histories tell us about our own assumptions of who belongs where, what land belongs to whom. Last week, a colleague was telling me about other forest-dwelling communities, the Boni, for example, who live north of Lamu. They are a pacific people. Their language has no words for anger, conflict. When aggression is expressed towards any one of them, they collectively retreat into the forest to pray for the aggressor. They are obviously a dying people, currently numbering only about 500. Five hundred. What will increased forest excisions do to that number? Or the Wata, who live along the River Tana? They currently number only 80. Eighty. What will increased forest excisions do to them? The real issue The issue is actually larger than the proposed (and apparently already ongoing) forest excisions. The issue is how we deal with true minority communities. How can any community with less than 1,000 members have any representation at all in decision-making even if the "one (wo)man, one vote" system we theoretically flaunt actually worked? These are dying communities. If we do not want to contribute to their extermination, we need to stop these forest excisions. We need to fundamentally reassess our notions of natural resource management to take into account the protection of communal user rights in the long-term. And we need to deeply examine our ideas about democracy. For a dying community of 80 people will never be able to elect its own MP in our current electoral system. Perhaps we need a Danish king. L. Muthoni Wanyeki is Executive Director of African Women's Development and Communication Network.

Liberia

WP 9 Nov 2001 Letter Charles Taylor: A Record of Genocide Friday, November 9, 2001; Page A36 The latest attempt by the Liberian ambassador to dress warlord-turned-president, Charles Taylor, in the borrowed robes of a democratic leader [letters, Oct. 30] comes up against an insurmountable barrier: Mr. Taylor's extensive and murderous record of human rights abuses in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Mr. Taylor's notorious record specifically includes his long-standing role in promoting the murderous Revolutionary United Front rebels who have raped, tortured, mutilated and killed tens of thousands of my fellow Sierra Leoneans, while displacing hundreds of thousands more since 1991. Mr. Taylor's record of genocide is fatal to Ambassador William V. S. Bull's attempt to refurbish the ex-warlord's image. Ambassador Bull's allegation that Colbert I. King [op-ed, Oct. 20] "seeks to inflame public opinion by recounting the unfortunate killing of five American nuns during the fratricidal war in Liberia nine years ago" ignores the fact that it was Mr. Taylor who in 1989, following his escape from an American jail, started that same war that has killed tens of thousands of innocent Liberians. Similarly, Mr. Bull failed to acknowledge that the "democratic" elections that resulted in the election of Mr. Taylor as president were conducted amid Liberia's raging civil war, during which 90 percent of the citizenry cowered under the murderous yoke of Mr. Taylor, who had violently seized control over them. MOHAMED A. JALLOH Derwood

Nigeria

This Day (Lagos) OPINION 13 Nov 2001 Tiv Land Massacre; A Breach Of The Law Tunji Adeyemi As the story goes, not long ago, a detachment of soldiers from Yola invaded four Tiv villages, invited the villagers to the village square, separated the men from the women and opened fire on the men killing hundreds. This was supposed to be in retaliation for the death of 19 soldiers who were murdered while on a peace keeping assignment in the clash between the Tivs and their Jukun neighbours. Arguments have been offered both in support of and against the action. We have heard those who believe the punitive expedition in Tiv land was necessary in order to send a clear message to ethnic militias that seem to have taken over every corner of the country, that lives of the men of the Nigerian Army are not cheap. We have also heard that to allow the killers of the 19 soldiers who were murdered in the cause of their lawful duty to the fatherland to go unpunished would amount to surrendering the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ethnic warlords. And so the soldiers unleashed their fury on innocent villagers in a raid reminiscent of punitive expeditions by the colonial soldiers on those African communities who dared challenge their imperial subjugation. While it is morally defensible to bring offenders to book, it is legally reprehensible to execute mass punishment on both the guilty and the innocent. One of the cardinal principles of the rule of law as propounded by John Locke is that no man should be punished except in accordance with the law. Further expounded, it means no man is to be punished except he has been proved to have violated a known (written) law, and that the punishment to be inflicted should be that which is prescribed by law and not by the mob - see S 36 (12) of the 1999 Constitution. It is difficult to justify the massacre in Tiv land (for that is what it actually is) where an 85 year old blind man was brutally murdered in his own house for what he probably did not understand. The duty of the law enforcement agents is the apprehension of lawbreakers and to bring them to book. What ought to have happened is for the government to fish out those who were involved in the killing of the soldiers by careful and painstaking investigation. The Army has attempted a defense of its action though a feeble one at that. What came out of the press conference called for that purpose was the fact that the Army is aware that its action was manifestly illegal. An Army that turns to attack defenceless citizens it is paid to protect does not know a thing about the noble ethics of arms bearing. Not too long ago, the same brutal dose was fed to the people of Odi in Bayelsa State. The Army then commanded by then Lt. General Victor Malu came out with a stout defense of its action. One still recalls the General speaking to newsmen, saying that in the Army they were trained to kill. He even said when on Military assignment even if his father stood on his way he would bring down his head! Today, General Malu sings a different tune - his house being one of the houses destroyed when the soldiers attacked his village. The 85 years old blind man who was murdered was also his uncle. Malu says he has lost faith in the Nigeria, he forgets that several houses were destroyed when he led soldiers to Odi, he also forgets that people who were killed in Odi also had relatives. Where the Rule of Law is subverted, the result can only be anarchy, and where anarchy reigns, the rich also cry! Nothing will be predictable; life will be brutish, nasty and short. The Rule of Law is to be preferred any day to the rule by the mob. Let us hope that the Tiv massacre will be the last of such stories in our land.

18 November, 2001, 03:05 GMT Nigerian ethnic rivals agree ceasefire Leaders of two rival ethnic groups in the Nigerian state of Benue have agreed to end a long-standing conflict which led to the killing last month of more than 200 civilians by the Nigerian army. The leaders of the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups agreed the ceasefire at a meeting in the city of Kanduna. They have called on the Federal government to withdraw its troops from the area affected by the conflict; a move they said would allow the peace agreement to flourish. The Nigerian authorities say the killings were part of a peace-keeping operation to deal with the conflict between the Tiv and Jukun peoples. The authorities have rejected calls for the soldiers responsible to be punished. 13 November, 2001, 14:54 GMT Bamiyan destroyed by Taleban Hundreds were reportedly killed by the Taleban The BBC has confirmed that the central Afghan town of Bamiyan was totally destroyed by the Taleban before they fled over the weekend. The statues were priceless pieces of Buddhist heritage Evidence has also emerged of Bosnian-style ethnic cleansing in the region involving the execution of hundreds of local ethnic Hazara men. BBC correspondent David Loyn reached Bamiyan on Tuesday, becoming the first journalist to witness the devastation. The Taleban caused international outrage earlier this year by destroying two priceless Buddha statues in Bamiyan in an act of wanton desecration. But it is now not just the ancient treasures that have disappeared. Ethnic cleansing Our correspondent said every building, shop and house had been destroyed before the town fell on Sunday after a two-hour gun battle. Bamiyan finally fell to ethnic Hazara fighters of the Hezb-i-Wahdat faction, who regard Bamiyan as their capital. They can never be replaced Not just in Bamiyan but around the region, it was clear that the Hazaras had suffered horribly at the hands of the Taleban. Bazaars had been torched in town after town and there have been reports of Bosnian-style ethnic cleansing involving the execution of hundreds of local men. The Hezb-i-Wahdat was driven out of Bamiyan by the Taleban in 1998. The city hit the world's headlines in March, when the destruction of the two giant statues provoked widespread international condemnation and criticism from Muslim leaders around the world. The Taleban dynamited the monuments, carved into the Hindu Kush mountains, claiming that all statues were false idols and contrary to their Islamic beliefs. 13 November, 2001, 13:51 GMT Nigerian soldier kills six at prayers Nigeria soldiers have been in trouble for killing civilians Nigerian police say that a soldier has opened fire at a group of people attending open-air Muslim prayers in the northern state of Kaduna killing at least six people. Troops stationed in the area had gone to the meeting in a motor park at the request of residents who feared violence. It is only the army that can tell us whether the soldiers were on official duty or they went to the gathering on their own their Edgar Nanakumo, deputy state police commissioner Open-air meetings are banned in the state and the troops told the gathering to disperse as they were breaking the law, the Nigerian Guardian newspaper reported. An argument ensued which lead to the shooting by one soldier. Last year 2,000 people were killed in violence between Christians and Muslims in Kaduna. Following the introduction of the Islamic Sharia code in the state earlier this month, violence broke out again, claiming another 11 lives. Drunken soldier The BBC's Dan Isaacs in Nigeria says there is no suggestion whatsoever that the soldier's action had anything to do with the introduction of Sharia. "It is understood it was a lone drunken soldier acting on his own accord," says our correspondent. Many residents fled for their lives in last month's revenge attacks by soldiers But the deputy police state commissioner, Edgar Nanakumo told Reuters news agency: "We do not have full details of the incident yet." "It is only the army who could tell us whether the soldiers were there on official duty or they went to the gathering on their own", he added. Obasanjo criticised Nigeria has seen an upsurge of religious and ethnic violence in the two years since President Olusegu Obasanjo was elected. On Sunday he announced a judicial inquiry into last month's killing of more than 200 civilians by Nigerian soldiers in the central state of Benue. The killings in Benue - apparently in reprisal for the deaths of 19 soldiers - have been linked to a long-standing conflict between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups. Human rights groups condemned the killings near the border with Taraba state and were disappointed when President Obasanjo failed to criticise the army's actions. Instead, he condemned the deaths of the 19 soldiers at the hands of a local militia.

BBC 15 Nov 2001 Army 'genocide' says Nigerian speaker, Dan Isaacs in Nigeria One of Nigeria's most senior politicians has strongly condemned the killing last month of more than 200 unarmed civilians in central Benue state by soldiers. After a visit with a parliamentary group to the destroyed towns and villages, the speaker of the House of Assembly, Ghalin Na'Abba, described the attacks as an act of near genocide. President Olusegun Obasanjo has justified the army action as part of a peace-keeping operation to deal with the conflict between the Tiv and the Jukun peoples of the area and rejected calls for the soldiers responsible to be punished. Although a judicial inquiry has been ordered into the army's action and events that led up to it, it has not yet started its work. Shaken After inspecting the destroyed town of Zaki Biam and its surrounding villages Mr Na'Abba and his parliamentary colleagues said they were deeply shocked at the destruction they had witnessed. He said that soldiers are supposed to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria and not shoot fellow Nigerians. Mr Obasanjo had said that soldiers are trained to kill and if deployed that is what they will do. Hundreds had to leave their homes Accompanying Mr Na'Abba on his tour was the traditional leader of the Tiv people who bore the brunt of the army operation. Chief Alfred Torkula appealed to the government to withdraw the troops which he said were still active in Benue state harassing and torturing his people. Tiv women, he said, were being particularly singled out by the army. These comments follow similiar statements made in recent days by politicians and traditional leaders both in Abuja and in Benue state who have expressed their disquiet at the government's muted response to the army killings.

This Day (Lagos) 15 Nov 2001 Benue Killings; Na'Abba Soldiers Raids, Near Genocide Chuks Okocha Just Back From Zaki Biam Tiv Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Na'Abba has described the reprisal killings and sacking of Tiv villages in Ukum Local government of Benue State as genocidal. He spoke after inspecting the burnt villages and victims of the soldiers' reprisal action against some Tiv villages where 19 soldiers were kidnapped and killed. According to the Speaker who spoke almost in tears "this act is not what we can support or condone because it is almost a near genocide". Na'Abba who was in Zaki Biam, the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi and the Daudu Displaced Peoples camp lamented that "never again will the soldiers be used to quell civil riots. The soldiers are supposed to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria and not shoot fellow Nigerians". The Speaker stated that the use of military forces to quell riots was not a panacea to the crisis stressing that "what is important is the use of dialogue and understanding. The military symbolizes a nation and as such it cannot be used on its people". He described the entire incident as "tragic and unfortunate" "I regret the loss of lives on both sides". According to him "democracy should not bring bloodshed and violence to our people. Democracy is all about freedom and unity, nobody should kill a fellow Nigerian." After the visit to the burnt commercial city of Zaki Biam, Na'Abba also visited the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi as well as the Daudu Displaced Peoples camp, one of the several camps where the displaced persons are being kept. Na'Abba visited the palace of the Tor Tiv , Dr. Alfred Torkula in Gboko . At the palace, the traditional ruler of the Tiv cried out against the presence of soldiers in the area, saying that "the soldiers are violating our wives and our female children. Our men are beaten up and our farmlands plundered by the soldiers". He appealed to the Speaker to help persuade President Olusegun Obasanjo to withdraw the soldiers from the Tiv lands. The Tor Tiv said that there were other federal organs like the police that can help maintain peace in the troubled areas. Dr. Tokula also pleaded with the Speaker to assist in the effort to get displaced Tiv people to return to their various ancestral homes in Nasarawa and Taraba states. There have been long standing communal clashes between the Tiv in Benue State and their Jukun neighbours in Taraba State. Last month, 19 soldiers of Nigerian Army were kidnapped and later killed by Tiv militia. When the Benue State government could not produce the perpetrators of the crime, soldiers sacked some Tiv communities in Benue State, including Zaki Biam, killing over 100 people. The Federal Government Sunday set up a judicial commission of inquiry into the Benue killings and warned that it was now an offence for anybody to treat any Nigerian resident in any part of the country, other than his state of origin, as a non-indigene or a settler. Members of the panel would however, be announced at a later date. Following a meeting at Aso Rock at the instance of President Obasanjo and attended by Governors George Akume of Benue, Jolly Nyame of Taraba, Joshua Dariye of Plateau and Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa, the government said that it was prepared to invoke Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution as part of effort to check the rising incidence of ethnic and religious clashes in the country. The government announced the setting up of the commission of inquiry into the recent attacks by soldiers on some Tiv communities in Benue State in which over a hundred people died and property running into millions of naira were destroyed. Last Tuesday, Na'Abba warned on the dangers of a prolonged crisis between Benue State and its neighbours. The Speaker's warning came on the heels of assurances by Benue State governor, Chief George Akume to the Tiv communities in Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states that the proposals made to the Federal Government in respect of the crises in the areas were being considered.

BBC 13 Nov 2001, Nigeria tries soldier for massacre Nigeria soldiers have been in trouble for killing civilians By Dan Isaacs in Lagos The Nigerian authorities say prosecution proceedings have begun against a soldier who shot dead seven people at a Muslim prayer service in the northern city of Kaduna on Sunday. Police in Kaduna confirmed that the soldier was currently in army custody. Tensions between Muslims and Christians in the city have been high following the introduction of Islamic law earlier this month. The killings of civilians provoked unrest in the Benue capital, Makurdi Following this latest incident, some soldiers were deployed to the area to prevent reprisal attacks from angry Muslims. By all accounts, this was an isolated incident - a soldier who had been drinking in his nearby barracks wandered into a local bus station where a Muslim preacher was holding a prayer service. The soldier ordered the preacher to stop his sermon and leave the area. His refusal angered the soldier who then apparently opened fire on the congregation. Seven people including the preacher are now known to have died, and many others were injured. Tension Immediately after the incident late on Sunday night, about 50 soldiers were deployed in the bus station and surrounding area in order to forestall any reprisal attacks by Muslims angered by the actions of a soldier who is himself believed to be Christian. Tensions are particularly high in Kaduna at the moment because of the introduction earlier this month of Islamic, or Shariah law in the state. Although the version of Shariah implemented is seen as a compromise to accommodate the sentiments of the Christian community, it is still seen as a contentious issue. Just 10 days ago clashes were reported in a community in the south of Kaduna state in which 10 people died. This is seen as one of Nigeria's most volatile states because of its large Christian as well as Muslim population. Last year, over 2,000 people died in communal clashes in Kaduna, before the army was eventually sent in to restore order.

BBC 11 Nov 2001 Inquiry planned into Nigeria killings The town of Zaki Biam was destroyed by the soldiers The killing of more than 200 civilians by Nigerian soldiers in the central state of Benue last month is to be investigated by a judicial commission. The decision was announced on Sunday by President Olusegun Obasanjo, after talks in the capital Abuja with leaders from Benue and three other central states wracked by ethnic violence. If there is evidence that anyone flouted the law, of course they will be punished - however, the emphasis is on reconciliation Information Minister Jerry Gana The killings in Benue - apparently in reprisal for the deaths of 19 soldiers - have been linked to a long-standing conflict between the Tiv and Jukun ethnic groups. Nigerian Information Minister Jerry Gana said they expected the commission to establish the truth so that a healing process could begin. Human rights groups condemned the killings on 22-24 October near the border with Taraba state and were disappointed when President Obasanjo failed to criticise the army's actions. Instead he condemned the deaths of the 19 soldiers at the hands of local militia. Army veterans helped The soldiers had been sent to quell tensions between the Tiv, the majority group in Benue, and the Jukun, the biggest group in neighbouring Taraba. Sunday's talks in Abuja have been focusing on the worsening inter-tribal conflict which has also spilled over into the states of Nasarawa and Plateau. The commission of inquiry was agreed at those talks along with measures to improve security in the regions and provide better welfare for thousands of army veterans. The killings of civilians provoked unrest in the Benue capital, Makurdi Mr Gana said the president would announce the composition and mandate of the inquiry after consultations. "If there is evidence that anyone flouted the law, of course they will be punished," Mr Gana said. "However, the emphasis is on reconciliation." Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have demanded an independent inquiry. Mr Gana said a separate committee would consider ways of guaranteeing the constitutional rights of all Nigerians to live in peace anywhere in the country. He said they were also arranging a larger peace forum involving more states of the so-called Middle Belt region for 19-20 December in Kuru, in Plateau State. Threat to democracy Mr Gana said the meeting had been held in an atmosphere of "peace and cordiality". Analysts say the ethnic warfare, coupled with fighting between Christians and Muslims further north, threatens the survival of Nigeria's young democracy. President Obasanjo condemned the killings of the soldiers President Obasanjo has deployed soldiers in seven states to quell unrest and some Nigerians fear this could give the army a pretext for taking back power. The military ruled Nigeria for decades until May 1999. Last week, Tiv leaders demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Theophilus Danjuma - an ethnic Jukun - following the killings in Benue. He has denied claims that he had put the army in the service of the Jukun. Also at Sunday's talks as observers were envoys from Kaduna and Kano states, where Muslim-Christian fighting in the past year has left thousands dead.

Weekly Trust (Abuja) 9 Nov 2001 Obasanjo Exposes Self And Senators, Wada Nas "I removed the Senate president and you are still looking for a big fish...", President Obasanjo said in response to a question as to when his administration would deal with those in high places accused of corruption either then or now. We do not want to recall the trauma our democracy went through in the process of removing Dr Chuba Okadigbo as Senate president. The invasion of his official residence by the police on 'instruction' from above' remains a dark spot in the take-off of the democracy project. Like an invading army, the police sealed up his residence in the early hours of the day on the excuse that they were looking for the Senate Mace Chief Okadigbo phoned the president to complain, but from his response, he was all for what was happening. Never in the history of Nigeria's democracy was such an undemocratic show of power displayed against the number three citizen. Before then, when the president was commissioning the official residence of the Senate president, some senators, perhaps in collaboration, were meeting, hatching and perfecting plans to remove him. Even as they denied collaborative actions to so remove him, the activities of his deputy left no one in doubt that there was an executive plot, sold to senators, to remove their president. Even the handling of the Kuta report, from beginning right through to the end, the sudden change of mind by Senator Nzeribe, left no one in doubt that the Presidency was determined to remove Okadigo at all costs. And according to sources, the cost was allegedly heavy in terms of various scenarios. Dr Okupe, then President Obasanjo's mouthpiece, kept on shouting himself hoarse that the matter was a Senate affair. The whole of the Senate establishment was up and doing, trying to patch up what some members of the public saw, rightly or wrongly, as their stooge image, of always playing to presidential music. The more they were denying the involvement of the Presidency in propelling them into action, the more they sounded unconvincing. Dr Okadigbo, in a news interview, accused them of receiving inducement to remove him. They rose up like wounded lions out to smash his head. They demanded apology or they would excise him from the Senate. Now, Obasanjo has exposed the racket: that it was he, apparently using our distinguished senators, who removed Dr Okadigbo as Senate president. Truth, they say, is a living phenomenon which can be suppressed but cannot be killed. All along our elected representatives were telling us untruth that they were never collaborators in the removal of Okadigbo, while in truth they knew the fact of the matter. It was not that they were lying to us, but rather they were not telling us the truth on honour. It ought to worry us that those we entrusted our collective affair into their care, those we expect to tell us the fact or truth, those whom we have confidence in, however, chose early in the day, to dish us misinformation on a matter they were fully in the know of the facts. We ought to feel disappointed and betrayed as electorates. Worse was the gross indecency of the action and manner it was executed, all of which was more about democratic misconduct, and a betrayal of the rule of democracy. Anyway, if as the president said that he removed Okadigbo because he was found wanting, what was the nature of his offence and why hasn't he been taken to Justice, Akanbi? It is not enough to make such serious allegations on the networks without backup evidence, except if there are still more plots to finish the Oyi senator completely. Whatever, Nigerians are entitled to believe Okadigbo' s accusations that some form of inducement took place before his colleagues were persuaded to remove him, particularly since the president said ...I removed the Senate president...' We never saw him on the floor plotting to remove Okadigbo. He was doing so from the background, using his cronies in the Senate. There was some level of political immorality involved in this. And I have the belief that between political immorality and corruption, there is only a thin thread, if indeed there is any. Corruption is not just about the misuse of public funds it is about the misuse of office or power, it has so many forms, all of them ugly, none justifiable under whatever guise. The Senate and the Presidency, in the face of the revelation by Mr President, that he was the real brain behind the removal of Dr Okadigbo, as Senate president, and in the face of persistent denials by the two organs in the beginning, owe Nigerians apology for misleading them in a way quite unbecoming of the stature of those two offices. Those doubting Thomases over the N4 billion money offered the House of Representatives to remove Speaker Ghali Umar Na'Abba now ought to rethink their position in view of this damaging revelation by our number one citizen. If anyone still has some doubt, let him wait until the horse opens its mouth once more. While we are waiting, let us say that the House of Representatives emerged very distinguished, as defenders of democracy, from the attempts to use some quislings to remove their leader. They stood glorious in the eyes of Nigerians and so far they have been living up to expectations. I hope I would have the occasion and reason to say the same of our senators. And when the opportunity offers itself, count me among those who would be the first to say so. Meanwhile, I worry over some of the remarks of Mr President over highly sensitive issues. Asked in Paris, France, how he felt about the Kano crisis, he reportedly said it never bothered him. For Mr President to have made such a remark, when fellow Nigerians were brutally and mercilessly killing themselves ought to be of serious concern to us. Perhaps he said so out of frustration, due to frequency with which violence has been occurring in recent time. Still, he could have been more circumspect and moderate in his remarks. What happened in Kano is nothing compared to what happened in some parts of Benue State. Reports have it that about four villages were completely razed and property looted. Death toll has been put variously at between 100-400. The country home of the immediate Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Victor Malu was also among the houses destroyed. His blind uncle, 85 years of age and his wife were burnt to ashes. These acts were done by Nigerian soldiers. Even if they have a right to be provoked, they had no right to engage in such a massive destruction as if they were fighting an enemy. What crimes have the Tivs committed worse than the OPC who almost on a daily basis have been engaging in killing and the destruction of police stations? In the face of the devastation that happened, all the president could offer was to warn citizens against provoking the military. Without any doubt, what happened to the 19 soldiers was callous, primitive and downright inhuman. In such tense moments, moderation is the expected language of a leader. Both our soldiers and Tiv brothers were very angered by what happened. None of the actions could be justified in line with the president's sermon. It was too costly at that material time and indeed for all times. In the meantime, there is no wisdom, bearing in mind current happenings, to insist that soldiers be excluded from handling situations which the police, for one reason or the other, are unable to manage. But for the army, the death toll arising from the various clashes we have been having could have been more than what we have witnessed. This call, therefore, could only be justified if the police are well equipped to handle such explosive situations. For now, this is not the case and until it is so, the military remains the only protection against some of the madness we have been seeing so far. This reminds me of the issue of the National Guard in the form of a stronger police formation that could be a buffer between the police and the military. The import here is that we need a better-trained police force than we currently have so that there may be no need to invite the military in times of serious crisis. Finally, asked when he is going to visit Benue State, the president in a Network Programme, remarked that he visits a state only on the invitation of the governor if he has something to show as dividend of democracy. What a remark! Even if Gov. Akume has nothing to show as dividend of democracy, he has at least something to show as the ugly side of democracy, and the president, as the National Chief Security Officer, ought not to wait to assess what damage this ugly episode has brought to the people of the state. I hope the violence in that part of the country was never part of our democracy dividends. Meanwhile, now Gani Adams is freely insulting everyone that he has no regret about his role in the Nazi-style massacre in Lagos and may perhaps do it again. The other time, Faseun, his companion in chief, remarked that they would no longer deal deadly blows at small Northerners but their big men. This is a confirmation that they have been deeply involved in the genocide against Northerners in the South-West. And today they are free while the Bamaiyis are languishing in detention. These people killed thousands and thousands and they are free, while Bamaiyi and Danbaba, in particular, have been in detention for two years for attempted murder of two people. And this is our great Nigeria. Recently, Adesanya was indulging in wishful thinking that an Ilorin oba would soon join his peers in Yoruba Council of Obas. Wishful thinking indeed. Let me say it, no amount of OPC antics would change the status quo in Ilorin. It is important here for Obasanjo to know how some people are making it possible for blood to flow in Ilorin. This is what the tribalist OPC is attempting to do and when it happens, the Gani Adams of this world and their backers would go scot-free as usual.

November 5, 2001 Ethno-religious conflicts claim 1,000 lives in 2000, say police By Ben Akparanta THE spate of ethno-religious conflicts witnessed by the country in the recent period, have claimed no fewer than 1,000 lives while 5,000 suspects have been arrested across the country, according to police force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Haz Iwendi. Random arrest of suspects at scenes of violence and the incarceration of potential troublemakers, which were hallmark of previous military dictatorship, is now being adopted by the police to stem the tide of violence, especially in the Middle Belt states of Benue, Taraba and Nassarawa as well as other states in the North-Central zone Kaduna, Kano and Plateau. Although Iwendi an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) declined to disclose figures of the dead for security reasons, he confirmed that the police have started a crackdown troublemakers. "Henceforth religious fundamentalists, hostile ethnic groups and policy thuggery will not be tolerated. The police have invoked relevant portions of the law to deal squarely with this menace'', Iwendi said. According to him, 230 persons were picked up during the recent religious riot in Kano and a similar arrest is being made in Benue State, where military authorities are aiding the police to disarm the Tiv militia. It was gathered that the Presidency and members of the security council including the Inspector-General of Police Mr. Musiliu A.K Smith, resolved that law enforcement agencies should henceforth pre-empt ethno-religious violence in the country through arrest and prosecute potential trouble makers before they could carry out their plans. Of the 5,000 persons arrested in connection with the Jos, Kaduna, Kano and Benue ethnic and religious violence, more than half are still facing various charges ranging from arson, theft to murder.

Daily Trust (Abuja) 5 Nov 2001 How Safe is Abuja? Austine Odo, Uwem Umo, and Hammeed M. Bello Piqued by the current influx of people into the Federal Capital Territory following ethnic and religiously inspired uprising in some parts of the country, residents of the city are now becoming increasingly apprehensive over the security of their lives and property. Crises have of recent, engulfed Nasarawa and Plateau States, the closest to the FCT, resulting in the influx of refugees to the satellite towns and villages of Abuja for protection. But reports have indicated that apart from increased crime wave in these areas, fears and rumours of spill over of such crises have made residents to fear for their safety, more so as a great percentage of the city's new entrants are idle youths. Abuja Trust reports that in the past 24 months, the city has received more new entrants fleeing communal violence in other parts of the country than it had of people seeking decent jobs. So restless have the satellite residents been that, they at some point, began to openly express fears on their vulnerability, in view of the obvious deprivation in the areas. Mr. Kanayo Kashmir, a resident of Karmo, an Abuja suburb, told Abuja Trust that the satellite residents live on divine security, "you see, in Karmo, with all the population, there is only one police station which also serves Idu, which is equally densely populated. People here live in constant fear of harassment from armed robbers. When they come, they rob at will, even for hours. If such a thing is possible, imagine what a communal uprising can be," he said. Reports from Gwagwa, another suburb, indicate that apart from the normal robbery, robbers break walls to gain entry into residences. In Karu, robbers were recently reported to have appealed to government for help, saying they were graduates who only took to stealing to earn a living. The frequency of these incidents has given rise to the setting up of vigilante groups in several of the satellite towns to complement police efforts. Commenting on the activities of the vigilante groups, FCT Police PRO, Mr. Ofem Arikpo, said the police were not averse to their activities, more so as they help complement their efforts. Arikpo said the police, despite its current state of combat readiness, would require the services of the recruits currently being awaited to perfect their handling of arms before deployment to the various divisions. While residents can count on the police and the vigilante to, at least, reduce crime to a manageable level, the fear of their ability to contend with communal crisis or a spill over of ethnic or religiously inspired violence from other parts remain pronounced. So worried have the residents been that efforts have been made in several of the area councils to dispel such fears. Security consultative meetings have been organised at Gwagwalada and Bwari Area Councils where the council chairmen had stressed the need for ethnic and religious harmony. Recently, Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Alhaji Isa Ega Dobi, directed security agents in the area to deal with any person or group caught causing friction. He said he gave the directive following reports that some people were attempting to cause confusion in Zuba. Residents of Mararaba, a boundary town between the FCT and Nasarawa State, where many FCT workers reside, recently fled to barracks and safe locations in the city centre after hearing rumours of an impending spill over of a communal crisis. The rumours of such upheavals became so much in Kubwa that the Kubwa Inter Religious Committee had to meet to discuss it. Speaking on the development, the leader of the committee, Mr. Demola Ijabiyi, said Kubwa is not a safe ground for mischief-makers. The rumours had created such panic that parents started withdrawing their wards from schools while shop owners closed business for fear of attack. The fears expressed by the satellite residents can be understood, considering the large population of those areas, and the fact that police presence is relatively low. In Karmo and Idu for instance, only one police station serves the entire area. Efforts to get the Divisional Police Officers in the satellite towns to comment on their state of preparedness, failed, as they referred our reporters to the FCT Command. Abuja Trust however, gathered from the Area Commander, FCT Command, ACP Moses Saba, that each of the police divisions in the FCT has no fewer than nine operational vehicles with which to effect rapid deployment of anti-riot policemen at any given point in time. ACP Saba said situation reports from the divisions speak of pockets of armed robbery perpetrated by night marauders and gangs of armed men with locally made weapons. He dismissed the possibility of any spill over of an ethnic or religiously inspired violence in Abuja, more so as the police are ready to deploy at the slightest signal to every part of the FCT. He pointed out that with the cosmopolitan nature of Abuja where no tribe or religion dominates, and the strict surveillance of his men, Abuja is safe, as far as the police are concerned. "We have the men, we have the logistics, we have the knowledge of the terrain. We are in constant touch with all the divisions, and we monitor everything very closely, Abuja is quite safe," he assured. ACP Saba however complained of inadequate supply of fuel for the available vehicles. Abuja Trust learnt the police had conducted raids in several parts of the city to flush out people considered to be of questionable characters, including about 54 people who were recently arrested from the UTC complex in Maitama at night. The assurances of the police chief not withstanding, efforts are being made at the local levels to enhance ethnic and religious harmony among residents. Receiving a delegation of such leaders from Kubwa recently, FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Dika Bwala, commended the level of religious tolerance among the various ethnic groups in the territory. Residents of the territory will however live with the memory of Kelvin Krekpe, a robbery kingpin, who operated in the posh areas of the city, including Maitama, Wuse and Asokoro for most parts of last year until his gang was smashed early this year. Efforts by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bwala and the AIG Zone 7, Mr. Rilwanu Akiolu are reported to have kept capital crimes in check since they assumed offices. The problem of policing the FCT is however more pronounced in the suburbs, where an army of idle, illiterate youths malinger aimlessly in all corners at all times.

This Day (Lagos) 4 Nov 2001 Illegal Arms; FG Moves Against Rtd. GeneralsChuks Okocha Abuja Police arrest 52 suspects of Tiv-Jukun crisis Following the discovery of a cache of arms in the official staff car of a former Military Administrator of Delta State (name withheld) by a detachment of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in Shendam, Plateau State, the office of the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) has directed the withdrawal of all staff cars and vehicles attached to retired senior military officers from the rank of Brigadier General and above or its equivalent. The directive, THISDAY gathered was issued on October 16, 2001 and sent to all the concerned authorities for implementation just as the police in Taraba State have arrested 52 persons suspected to have participated in the Tiv-Jukun crisis in Dan Anacha in Gassol local government area of the state. The Police Public Rela-tions Officer (PPRO) of the Command, Mr. Clement Robert, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jalingo yesterday said the suspects were arrested with arms, ammunitions and looted property. The recovered items, according to him, included one police rifle (LAR), 13 single barrel locally made guns, two locally made pistols, cartridges, charms and goods worth millions of naira. According to the police spokesman, 20 of the suspects, who were mostly non-indigenes of the state have been charged to court for being in possession of illegal property and unlawful possession of firearms, adding that many more would be charged to court soon. According to a senior presidency source who commented on the issue of arms to reporters on the condition of anonymity, President Olusegun Obasanjo and the office of Chief of Defence Intelligence were worried at the misuse of the official staff car of the officer, a retired Air Commodore which was stocked with different categories of arms. The Presidency source said that the Police in Shendam, Plateau State on September 26, 2001 apprehended a 504 Peugeot Car belonging to the Air Commodore. The source explained that the staff car of the Air Commodore was impounded with an ex-sergeant, Bala Tsokojo and four other civilians inside the car with the following categories of arms: Two Double Barrelled gun, one FG Riffle with registration number 98.051947, a Barrette pistol, one Amalat Riffle no 526814 and one AK. 47 Riffle with the registration number 1991 CK 3172 . According to the presidency source, the directive that all staff cars attached to senior military officers be withdrawn was aimed at reducing the usage of such official vehicles in ferrying arms to some troubled spots across the country. Also, the source said that President Obasanjo has directed the office of Chief Defence Intelligence to investigate the involvement of the former Military Administrator in the supply of arms to the warring Jukuns against the Tivs. Meanwhile, a member of the House of Representatives representing Katsina -Ala Federal Constituency in Benue State, Hon. Gabriel Suswam has reacted to news report credited to Brigadier -General Dyaji that the Nigerian Army stationed in Wukari have discovered a sand model which the Tiv people are using to train 6000 militia for the purposes of carrying a counter offensive saying it is all a plot towards the preparation of the minds of Nigerians for another attack on the Tiv people. Hon. Suswam who spoke in Abuja over the weekend said that "there is no iota of truth in the allegation," explaining that "it is a grand plot to use a helicopter gunship for the purpose of looking for a non existing Tiv 6000 militia and in the process a continued cover up for the cleansing and carrying out of the planned genocide against the Tivs" He said that the exercise was a pre-plan to run down the other senatorial districts and federal constituencies in Tiv land on the guise of searching for the 6000 Tiv militia. Accordingly, Suswam pleaded with President Obasanjo to exercise caution in the handling of the Tiv crisis. He also called on the President to investigate the allegation made by Brigadier-General Dyaji that the Tiv people are training 6000 militia-men for the purpose of carrying out a counter offensive against the Nigerian Army. Commenting on the arrest of Tiv-Jukun suspects, the PPRO said that the suspects were arrested in Mutum Biyu and Sabon Gida towns of Gasol local government and Ardo Kola, adding that a vehicle loaded with goods was also arrested and the passengers confessed that they were looted property. He reiterated the determination of the police to ensure security of lives and property, as well as maintain law and order in the state. A NAN correspondent who was conducted round the office where the arms and ammunitions were kept, observed that most of the offices were replete with recovered weapons and goods.

This Day (Lagos) 3 Nov 2001 Tiv Killing: Akume Appeals to UN, ICJ Benue State Governor, George Akume, has appealed to the United Nations to arraign those behind the killing of the Tiv people in Taraba State before the International Court at the Hague for genocide. The appeal was contained in a release signed by Mr. Yahav Agerzua, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Thursday, at Government House Makurdi, when a team of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) officials led by resident representative in Nigeria, Professor Mbaya Kwakwenda visited the governor. Mbaya said that those behind the killings be treated like Slobodan Militinovic to serve as a lesson to others. Governor Akume who lamented the continued killing and haunting of the Tivs in Taraba and Benue States by the Nigerian Army and the Jukun of Taraba State particularly appealed to the UNDP representative to prevail on the UN for the sake of humanity to bring the sponsors and killers to trial. The governor who regretted the killing of soldiers in the state noted that the act should not be used as an excuse to destroy the Tiv race, whose responsibility and hospitality as a people can be seen in their refusal to revenge against the Jukun in the state. He restated his commitment and that of the state to respect the nation's leadership and indissolubility, and also appealed to the UNDP to assist the state in the proposed rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation of the thousands of displaced persons as it was beyond the scope of the state government alone. He assured the UNDP of his government's assistance and continued cooperation and directed the Ministry of Finance to compute all outstanding counterpart funding due to the agency for payment adding that at an appropriate time the state would host the delegation. Earlier, Kankwenda had told the governor that the team was in the state to familiarise itself with the workings of its agency as well as find ways of cooperating with the state government. He announced the agency's introduction of the Human Development Fund to replace the UNDP Poverty Alleviation Fund which would be launched at Abuja in December this year with the state chapters to be formed thereafter.

BBC 2 Nov 2001 Sharia compromise for Nigerian state Plans to introduce Sharia last year led to horrific violence in Kaduna The northern state of Kaduna has introduced a modified version of Sharia or Islamic law in an attempt to keep Muslims and Christians in the state happy. Plans last year to introduce Islamic courts were put on hold after riots in the city of Kaduna in which more than 2,000 people were estimated to have died. This arrangement is only part of what is desired by Muslims, but given the nature of the state, there is a need for compromise Muslim mechanic Umar Ibrahim The situation in the mainly-Muslim city is reported to be tense and no formal ceremonies are being held which correspondents say is a sign of how nervous the state authorities are. The political capital of mainly Muslim northern Nigeria has for years been divided along religious lines but, residents say those divisions have hardened considerably since the violence. Compromise Islamic punishments are not being incorporated into the criminal code in Kaduna, as has happened in several other northern Nigerian states - but local communities are being given more power, through new customary and sharia courts, which will deal with civil matters. The extension could also mean drinking alcohol is outlawed in some areas, but Christians should be exempt from this ban. Mukhtar Sirajo, an adviser to Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi, told AFP news agency the system was designed to keep everyone in Kaduna happy. "Given the complex nature of our state and the unfortunate events we experienced last year, we will not implement the sharia as is done in other states," he said. Reaction More than 70 sharia courts will be opened across the state and a similar number of customary courts will also be set up. The Anglican Archbishop of Kaduna, Benjamin Achigili, told AFP that Christians would object to Islamic law if it affected them but would accept it it were only to affect Muslims. "Christians have a stake in the Sharia issue as long as it affects their lives. But if the Sharia is exclusively for Muslims we have no worries about it. Let it be," he said. Muslim mechanic Umar Ibrahim, whose brother died in the violence in February last year, said the arrangement was only partly what Muslims wanted but was acceptable given the violence in the state. Kaduna is one of more than a dozen states in predominantly Islamic northern Nigeria which have adopted Sharia law in the past two years.

IRIN 2 Nov 2001 US should address killings ABIDJAN, Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a statement issued on Thursday, has urged U.S. President George Bush to use a scheduled visit by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to "raise concerns" about last week's civilian massacre by soldiers in central region Benue State. Although Obasanjo's visit in Washington will focus on anti-terrorism efforts, HRW wants Bush to condemn the killings in which more than 200 people died. "The anti-terrorism agenda must not prevent President Bush from condemning human rights violations by Nigerian security forces", the statement said. Last week Nigerian soldiers killed ethnic Tiv people in several communities in Benue State and destroyed homes and property in retaliation for the killing of 19 soldiers by a local Tiv militia. The 19 had been sent on a peacekeeping mission to the area to fend off hostilities fighting between Tivs and their neighbours, the Jukuns. HRW also called on the U.S. to press Obasanjo "to investigate the events and bring those responsible to justice". For HRW's full statement go to: http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/11/Nigeria1101.htm

Rwanda (see Tanzania)

IRIN 21 Nov 2001 Court Sentences Seven to Death For Genocide A lower court in the northern Rwandan prefecture of Ruhengeri sentenced seven people to death and five others to between 18 years and life imprisonment "at the weekend", Rwandan radio reported on Wednesday. At this last stage of a joint trial, which began on 17 April, the Court of First Instance convicted the defendants for genocide and crimes against humanity, the radio reported. Another 10 people were acquitted. Rwanda has thousands of genocide suspects in its prisons and is seeking to speed up trials by employing traditional Gacaca courts in parallel with regular courts. The UN is also hearing genocide cases in Arusha, Tanzania.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution 17 Nov 2001 Rwandan educator returns to rebuild Minister of education reared in U.S. Kelly Simmons - Staff Saturday, November 17, 2001 At age 4, Clark Atlanta University professor Romain Murenzi left his native Rwanda amid a raging civil war. He'll return this week --- 38 years later --- to help pick up the pieces of his home country. "In my life, Atlanta has given me a lot," Murenzi said. "I would like to share the experience with my people." Murenzi returns to Rwanda as the country's minister of education, charged with rebuilding the nation'sSouth Africa Press Association 13/11/2001 22:57 - (SA) E-mail story to a friend Genocide child suspects sent home Kigali - Some 550 Rwandan young people who had been accused of genocide and crimes against humanity have been sent back to their villages, official sources reported on Tuesday. "These young people were acquitted by the 'pre-Gacaca' (traditional courts) in their home villages," officials in the Ministry of Justice told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa). The 539 boys and 13 girls underwent two months of re-education training in Gaculiro centre, on the outskirts of the capital Kigali, sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and the Rwandan government. The Kigali-based non-governmental organisation Rwandan Women's Association was also involved in taking care of the young people during the training, and will follow them up once back in their villages. Justice Minister Jean de Dieu Mucyo encouraged the young people to work for the development of their respective communities. Some were responsible for terrible crimes under the instigation of elders, authorities say. Agenda to respect rights of children Jean de Dieu Sindikubwabo, now 21, was 13 years old when genocide broke out in April 1994. He has confessed to killing his two Tutsi brothers by hitting them repeatedly with a club. He now regrets this act and blames it on his mother, uncle and grandmother. "My mother had married a Tutsi man. After he was killed during the genocide, she took his three children with her and came back to stay with her parents," Sindikubwabo told dpa. "I was told by my uncle to kill them because they were allegedly Tutsis. I refused. When I asked my mother and grandmother, they also urged me to kill them," he said. He said he was given a club and hit two of the boys repeatedly on the head, killing them. A third boy managed to escape and survived, the killer said. The release of the young people, some of who were younger than 14 during the genocide, is said to be part of the government's agenda to respect the rights of children. So far, more than 1 500 minors accused of genocide have been released from Rwandan prisons and sent back to their home villages.

AP 17 Nov 2001 Rwndan PM Denies Genocide Link BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — A former Rwandan prime minister wanted in the 1994 genocide of 500,000 ethnic Tutsis denies any involvement in the deaths. Pierre-Celestin Rwigema, 47, was forced to resign from office in February 2000 after a parliamentary vote of no-confidence over allegations of corruption and mismanagement. The central African country has delivered an international arrest warrant to the United States for Rwigema to face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in the death of ethnic Tutsis. Rwigema said the allegations were trumped up to drive him out of office. ``I have been accused formally of mismanagement of funds,'' Rwigema said in an interview with The (Toledo) Blade in Saturday's editions. ``I went before parliament and was found not guilty. Why, if I was a killer, did they not accuse me in parliament? The charges are not correct. It's political.'' Rwigema fled to the United States and sought asylum, claiming persecution by the government. He began studying at Bowling Green at the recommendation of a friend. Rwigema, from the mainly Hutu Democratic Republic Movement, became prime minister in the Tutsi-dominated government of national unity in 1995. Rwigema applied for political asylum when he entered the United States on a visa in July 2000. His application is pending. The United States can't send Rwigema back home because it has no extradition treaty with Rwanda. He is not being sought as a suspect by the United Nations tribunal investigating the genocide. But investigators from Rwanda want to see Rwigema returned, said Guillaume Kavaruganda, first secretary of the Rwandan Embassy in Washington. University officials said they checked with the FBI and the State Department before letting Rwigema enroll and were told that the allegations against him are unsubstantiated.

IRIN 14 Nov 2001 Government Frees 552 Child Genocide Suspects Another 552 children suspected of genocide and other crimes against humanity regained their freedom on Monday after spending three months in the Gaculiro re-education camp in the capital, Kigali, UNICEF Information Officer Cyriaque Ngoboka told IRIN. He said on Wednesday that 13 girls were among those freed, after a traditional village tribunal heard testimonies of their innocence. Monday's release brings to 1,500 the minors the government has so far released from detention. The government says that one million Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed in the 100-day genocide of 1994. A local NGO, ASOFERWA and Rwanda's national Unity and Reconciliation Commission, provided reorientation courses for the children to ease their re-entry into society.

BBC 13 Nov 2001 Rwanda frees child genocide suspects Hundreds of thousands were massacred by Hutu extremists Rwanda has begun the large scale release of hundreds of children who have been held for years on the grounds that they took part in the 1994 genocide. The children, who were aged between five and 12 at the time of the mass killings, are among 600 young people who will be freed to their families or foster families. Others speak and act like adults and have been commanders in the militia army. Others you could put on your knees and console The BBC's Helen Vesperini They have spent the last three years in rehabilitation centres run by the Rwandan government and UNESCO, being taught literacy and technical skills. Most were originally held in prison after the genocide in which up to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. The BBC's Helen Vesperini in Kigali says that before the children were taken to resettle in an area, the government had done preparatory work with villagers, explaining to them the logic of the programme. Acceptance vital "There were small boys and there were others who speak and act like adults and have been commanders of the militia army. Others you could take on you knees and console," our correspondent adds. She said some had earlier been taken to their communes for approval by villagers before they were finally handed over to their families. Tuesday's release is the largest, even though not the first. Since 1998 children have been sent home in small numbers to test whether villagers were ready to accept them back into the community. President Kagame's government has been cautious releasing child suspects But our correspondent says there had been the tragic case of a child who had been released in the preliminary programme and had drowned another child in the Lakes. Rwanda has so far tried more than 3,000 genocide suspects, and sentenced more than 500 of them to death. Cases backlog But well over 100,000 are still crammed into the country's prisons awaiting trial. The problem of the backlog of cases is worsened by the fact that most of the country's judges perished in the genocide. People calculate that if trials continue at the current rate, tens of thousands of genocide suspects will die in prison before their cases are heard. In an attempt to speed things up, the Rwandan authorities are introducing a system of community justice called "gacaca courts", where judges appointed at community level are given summary training. The gacaca courts will start functioning next year. school system, which suffered a devastating blow in the past decade from an extremist government that killed as many as one million people. In June, four Rwandans, including two Roman Catholic nuns, were convicted in the killings, considered the worst case of widespread genocide in Africa's history. The situation is bleak but hopeful in Rwanda now, Murenzi said, where a coalition of eight governments is trying to restore its infrastructure. The school system is in poor condition. Only 66 percent of the teachers in the country's high schools have high school diplomas themselves, Murenzi said. At the college level, most instructors have only bachelor's degrees --- fewer than 30 percent have doctorates. Meanwhile, school enrollment is increasing. In 1995, there were 50,000 children in secondary schools. Today, there are nearly 141,000. University enrollment has increased from 2,800 to 12,000. "This is a remarkable achievement," Murenzi said. "The Rwandan government understands that education is key." The problem is getting the teachers and supplies to the country. Murenzi is hoping his relationships with U.S. institutions will help. He's talking to metro Atlanta universities about faculty exchange programs, through which U.S. professors would travel to Rwanda to teach and Rwandan teachers would come to the United States to train. Emory, Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Clark Atlanta have expressed interest in such a program, Murenzi said. Already, Clark Atlanta has donated textbooks for Rwandan students. Also contributing books and money is the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, which is based in Atlanta. Murenzi met the organization's president and CEO, Atlanta resident Clare Richardson, the year of the Olympics. Richardson wanted to develop a system to track gorillas in order to preserve their habitat. Murenzi, who holds a doctorate in physics, was able to help. In partnership with Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta and the National University of Rwanda, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International last year opened a remote sensing center in Rwanda, using satellite imaging to track the endangered animals. The Rwandan government recently used the system to create a map of the country --- the first ever produced in Rwanda. "It was a very symbolic thing to have that happen," Richardson said. Education, Murenzi says, is the key to preventing future atrocities in Rwanda. "People were taught to hate each other; they were not taught to think," Murenzi said of previous generations. "If money is invested in education, there will be a payoff at some point."

Sierra Leone

WP 2 Nov 2001 Al Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade Sale of Gems From Sierra Leone Rebels Raised Millions, Sources Say By Douglas Farah, Page A01 FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Nov. 1 -- The terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden has reaped millions of dollars in the past three years from the illicit sale of diamonds mined by rebels in Sierra Leone, according to U.S. and European intelligence officials and two sources with direct knowledge of events. Diamond dealers working directly with men named by the FBI as key operatives in bin Laden's al Qaeda network bought gems from the rebels at below-market prices and sold them for large profits in Europe. Investigators in the United States and Europe are still trying to determine how much money al Qaeda derived from its dealings with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), but they estimated the amount to be in the millions. Since July, the sources said, the diamond dealers have changed their tactics, buying far more diamonds than usual and paying premium prices for them. Investigators said that is a strong indication that al Qaeda, perhaps anticipating its accounts would be frozen after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, sought to protect its money by sinking it into gemstones, a commodity that can be easily hidden, holds its value and remains almost untraceable. "When prices go up and supply goes up, it means someone is seeking to launder or hide cash, and we believe that is the case here," a U.S. official said. "Diamonds don't set off alarms at airports, they can't be sniffed by dogs, they are easy to hide, and are highly convertible to cash. It makes perfect sense." U.S. and European intelligence officials, overwhelmed after Sept. 11 and with very few agents in West Africa, said they realized only recently how important the diamond flow was to fund al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. "I now believe that to cut off al Qaeda funds and laundering activities you have to cut off the diamond pipeline," said a European investigator. "We are talking about millions and maybe tens of millions of dollars in profits and laundering." The Diamond Dealers The diamonds are mined by RUF rebels, who became infamous during Sierra Leone's civil war for hacking off the arms and legs of civilians and abducting thousands of children and forcing them to fight as combatants. The country's alluvial diamond fields, some of the richest in the world, were the principal prize in the civil war, and they have been under RUF control for the past four years. Small packets of diamonds, often wrapped in rags or plastic sheets, are taken by senior RUF commanders across the porous Liberian border to Monrovia, according to sources. There, at a safe house protected by the Liberian government, the diamonds are exchanged for briefcases of cash brought by diamond dealers who fly several times a month from Belgium to Monrovia, where they are escorted by special state security through customs and immigration control. The diamond dealers are selected by Ibrahim Bah, a Libyan-trained former Senegalese rebel and the RUF's principal diamond dealer, the sources said. The buyers' identities are known only to Bah and a few others. Bah's contacts and sympathies were forged on the battlefield, according to intelligence reports and sources who know him well. After fighting with the Casamance separatist movement in Senegal in the 1970s, Bah trained in Libya under the protection of Col. Moammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader. Like bin Laden, he spent several years in the early 1980s fighting alongside Muslim guerrillas against Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Bah then joined the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia to fight Israeli forces in southern Lebanon before returning to Libya at the end of the 1980s. In Libya, Bah met and trained several men who would go on to lead rebellions in West Africa, including Charles Taylor of Liberia and Foday Sankoh of Sierra Leone, the RUF's founder. Bah himself later fought in both Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to intelligence sources and two people who have worked with him, Bah now acts as a conduit between senior RUF commanders and the buyers from both al Qaeda and Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim organization linked to Lebanese activists who have kidnapped numerous Americans, hijacked airplanes and carried out car bomb attacks on U.S. installations in Beirut. Bah, who lives in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, declined through intermediaries to be interviewed for this article. In the past, he has refused to talk to U.N. investigators probing the region's weapons-for-diamonds trade. Senior RUF officials, who are overseeing the disarmament of the rebel movement as part of a U.N.-brokered peace agreement, said this week in response to a query from The Washington Post that they were shocked by allegations of Bah's dealings with terrorist organizations and would thoroughly investigate the matter. Virtually Untraceable Funds How much money terrorist organizations made in diamond sales brokered by Bah is difficult to ascertain. A U.N. panel of experts estimated the market value of RUF "blood diamonds" sold in 1999 at about $75 million. But since the government of Sierra Leone and the RUF agreed to a cease-fire last year, diamond mining has greatly accelerated. Sources in the diamond trade estimate that the RUF receives less than 10 percent of market value for the diamonds it sells, paid mostly in the form of weapons, food and medicine. Taylor, who is now Liberia's president, receives a commission on each transaction in Monrovia, and Bah and the other brokers share the rest, according to sources involved in the dealings. Taylor repeatedly has denied involvement in illicit diamond dealings. "Even if only 10 percent went to terrorist organizations, you are talking about millions of dollars in virtually untraceable funds, every year," said a European investigator. "That is enough to keep a lot of people going." European and American intelligence sources have long known that Hezbollah has raised significant amounts of money in West Africa through the largely Shiite Muslim Lebanese communities in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo. There are an estimated 120,000 Lebanese in West Africa, mostly involved in import-export businesses. "Hezbollah is active in all these countries and are deeply involved in many businesses across the region," said one European official tracking the movement. "It is only a small part of the Lebanese community that is sympathetic, but many people contribute to them just to keep Hezbollah off their backs." For at least 20 years, Hezbollah had also raised some cash through the sale of diamonds from Sierra Leone, intelligence sources said. Bah, they said, was long suspected of brokering diamond deals through buyers connected to Hezbollah, assisted by sympathetic Lebanese businessmen across the region. After Sept. 11, U.S. officials began focusing more intently on the West African diamond network. Transcripts from court cases against al Qaeda members contained evidence that the network has people with expertise in the diamond business and who previously dabbled in the gemstone trade in Tanzania. • Understanding Bin Laden A look at the network and reach of the prime suspect behind the attack on America. The connection to al Qaeda was cemented in September 1998, when Bah arranged for Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah to visit Monrovia, according to two sources. Abdullah was described on the FBI's recent poster of most wanted terrorists as a "top bin Laden adviser" who "helped plan a number of Al Qaeda's attacks." After spending one night in Monrovia, the sources said, Bah and Abdullah flew in a Liberian government helicopter to the town of Foya, on the border with Sierra Leone. There Abdullah met with a senior RUF commander, Sam Bockerie, better known as Mosquito, to discuss buying diamonds on a regular basis. The sources said the RUF did not know who Abdullah was but agreed to do business with him because of Bah's presence. A few weeks later Bah arranged a visit for two more al Qaeda operatives now on the FBI list, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani and Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the sources said. Together, they also met Bockerie, taking him $100,000 in cash and receiving a parcel of diamonds in an introductory deal, the sources said. Ghailani, the FBI alleges, is an al Qaeda operative from Tanzania who helped buy the truck used in the 1998 bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Fazul, from the Comoros Islands, is identified by the FBI as the "head of Al Qaeda's Kenyan cell" who had trained at a bin Laden camp. A Growing Business Since the 1998 contact was made, Bah, through several Lebanese businessmen based in Belgium, has steadily expanded his operations in Monrovia. So