April 2005 in Africa

Friday the 1st er April

Saturday April 2nd

  • Madagascar: death of Jacques Rabemananjara, writer and politician at the 91 years age.
  • Zimbabwe: the Electoral commission of Zimbabwe (ZEC) communicated the results partial of the legislative elections of March 31st. The African National union of the patriotic Zimbabwe-Face (Zanu-PF), left the president Robert Mugabe, carried 74 seats (for which it is necessary to add 30 seats allotted by the president). The principal party of opposition, the Movement for the democratic change (MDC), gained 40 seats. The MDC denounces the “ nauseating massive frauds ” which sullied these elections.

Sunday April 3rd

Monday April 4th

Wednesday April 6th

  • Madagascar, Morocco: In visit official in Morocco where it was received by the king Mohammed VI, Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy president announced that Madagascar had “ decided to freeze its recognition ” with the Arab République sahraouie democratic RASD).

  • Morocco: Death of Fatna Bent Alhoucine, popular singer 70 years old.

  • Mauritania:

    • the Council of Ministers authorized the president to ratify the protocol of the African Charte of the human rights and the people (CADHP) adopted in July 2003 to Maputo by the chiefs D `State and of government of the African Union like signing the act of accession to the African Charte of the rights and the wellbeing of L `child, adoptive in July 1990 with Addis-Abeba.
    • the government adopted a decree fixing the weekly days of rest at Saturday and Sunday, starting from April 11th. Since December 2002, the days of rest were Thursday afternoon and Friday, according to the Moslem calendar. This return on the decision taken then by the mode of the colonel Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla is explained for economic imperatives.

  • Rwanda: The commemorations of the genocide of 1994 begin through the country and must last one week.

  • Senegal: Opening to Dakar of a preparatory workshop at the Top on the dialog islamo-Christian. Abdoulaye Wade, president of Senegal, underlined the “ peaceful coexistence ” between the religious communities in Senegal where the Islam is the religion of 95% of the population.

  • Togo: Clashes with the police force occurred at the time of demonstrations organized by the opposition which claims the carryforward of the date of the presidential election considering that on April 24th was brought closer too much to allow the behavior of the election under good conditions.

Thursday April 7th

  • Cameroun: Various defense associations of the human rights and the governmental organizations organize with Yaounde a forum on the phenomenon of the Torture in Cameroun. If the law prohibits torture, it regularly practiced by civils servant who feel to protect by an impunity. Emile Nzalli Fezze, executive secretary of the National committee of the human rights and freedoms, noted that the torture which “ constitutes a violation of the human rights (…) exist in Cameroun and its practice is exerted with the daily newspaper ”.

Friday April 8th

  • Benign: Mama Seydou Sika, Minister of Interior Department, safety and decentralization threatened to prohibit any political activity to a hundred parties which does not respect the charter of the parties coming into effect on February 21st, 2003. See Political Benign.

  • Djibouti: Presidential election. Ismail Omar Guelleh, outgoing president is the single candidate, the opposition inviting to boycott these elections, considering that the conditions were not met for an honest election “, free and transparent ”. According to the ministry for the interior, rate of participation amounts to 78,9%. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh obtained 100% of the votes cast whereas the blank votes reach 5,7%.

  • Mali: Opening ceremony for the exposure “ Duty to remember: triumph over slavery ” with the National museum over Mali to Bamako in the presence of Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Minister for the culture.

  • Togo:

    • At the time of a demonstration organized by the opposition to Tabligbo (80 km of Lome), a demonstrator was killed by ball.
    • Agbéyomé Kodjo, former Prime Minister, was stopped on its return to Lome. It had been in exile in France for 3 years. He is shown of basic diversion whereas he directed the Port authority of Lome.

Saturday April 9th

  • Niger: New demonstrations with Niamey and in the main cities of Niger (Maradi, Tahoua, Agadez, Dosso) join together thousands of people to the call of the “Coalition against the expensive life” for requiring the abrogation of the finance law 2005 founding a VAT on the products of first need.

  • Togo: The International organization of the francophonie (OIF), “ Fascinating act of the evolution of the situation in Togo, one of the chief features of which is the return to the constitutional framework and the application of the electoral calendar ” decided to raise the sanctions that it had taken on February 9th, 2005.

Sunday April 10th

  • African Union: Opening to Algiers of the second conference of the Ministers for the Education of the African Union in the presence of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, president Algeria N and of Koïchiro Matsuura, managing director of UNESCO. This conference must make it possible to give a progress report on the objectives as regards education in Africa fixed for the decade 1997-2006 by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in June 1996. She will also study document-tallies for “ an education of quality to the service of the sustainable development of Africa ”. Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared that “ the African countries, which knew the worst forms of colonialism and showed an enormous delay as regards development, regard education and training as a factor of release and progress ”. Alpha Oumar Konaré, president of the commission of the African Union announced the creation of a bottom of dung in order to “ support the inter-academics exchanges in Africa and out of Africa ”.

  • Cameroun: Visit Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of the Brésil in Cameroun. Paul Biya, Cameronian president to declare that this visit was “ the starting point for a new dash in the relations in fields as various as education, agriculture, health, fishing, transport and research ”. The two presidents wished to reinforce the relations south-south and “ to coordinate their position within the international institutions ”. In a joint communiqué published at the end of the visit on April 11th, “ the Head of the Brazilian State reiterated the availability of its country to bring to Cameroun all the expertise necessary prevention fight against the VIH-AIDS ”. The Brazilian president must then go to the Nigeria on April 11th, with the Ghana on April 12th, in Guinea-Bissau on April 13rd and with the Senegal on April 14th.

Monday April 11th

  • Mali: Lawsuit with Bamako of the authors of violences which followed the defeat of the team of Mali in the football game vis-a-vis the team of Togo. 45 defendants bailed out sorrows going of the deferment at 5 years of prison firm. 15 people were released.

  • Democratic republic of Congo, Uganda: Opening to $the Hague in front of the the International Court of Justice of the session concerning the conflict opposing the two countries. The Democratic republic of Congo showed in 1999 Uganda of “ massacre of the Congolese populations ” after having invaded her territory. Uganda will present its defense starting from April 15th, the audiences having to continue until April 29th.

  • Sudan:

    • Opening to Oslo of the conference of the givers by Kofi Annan, general secretary of UNO. The rebuilding of the country after the peace agreement with the Southern Sudan signed in January must cost 7,8 billion dollars. If a great part must be financed by the oil resources of the country, the international community has to help with the rebuilding of the country, devastated by 21 years of war, with height of 2,6 billion dollars.
    • During a demonstration organized by students with ED Delendj, a person was killed and 21 others wounded during confrontation with the police force.

  • Togo: A demonstration joined together with Lome several thousands of sympathizers of the opposition protesting against the repression of the manifestation of the Friday, April 8 which made a death and to claim the revision of the electoral register and the carryforward of the presidential election.

Tuesday April 12th

  • Mali: Mariam Djibrila Maïga, president of the national Coalition of the civil society for peace and the fight against the proliferation of the light weapons (CONASCIPAL-Mali) and Bakary Doumbia president of the CCA-ONG held a press conference following the violences perpetrated on March 27th after the defeat of the national team of Mali. Into a declaration the organizations of the civil society reject “ all forms of violence, contempt or hatred like means of expression ” and condemn “ the acts of violence, of vandalism, antisocial behavior, destruction of assets public and deprived, the rapes and the breaches of liberty to circulate of the citizens ”. They invite all the Malians to develop the cultural values and sociétales of our country.

  • Nigeria: in visit official, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of the Brésil discussed with Olusegun Obasanjo, president of the Nigeria and chair African Union. They wished to organize a top between African and South American leaders. The president of Brazil went to the Ghana where it was accommodated by the president John Kufuor.

Wednesday April 13rd

  • Ivory Coast: Thabo Mbeki, president of the South Africa and mediator of the African Union for the Civil war of Ivory Coast, in a letter addressed to the whole of the protagonists, requires of Laurent Gbagbo to use the special capacities which confers to him article 48 of the constitution to authorize the whole of the signatories of the agreements of Marcoussis to arise to the presidential election of October 2005.

  • Mali: The cultural Co-operative “Jamana” (created by Alpha Oumar Konaré) launched an Internet site of information in language Bamanam (will bambara) in partnership with UNESCO.

  • Niger: A fire was declared in the evening with Katabo, one of the main markets of Niamey causing important property damages. Several markets were already destroyed by fire: Wadata in May 2004; Haboubéné in 1982.

  • Sudan: new demonstrations organized by the students to protest against falsification by the government of the elections of the union representatives at the university of ED Delendj. According to students, at least 8 people would have been wounded by the anti-riot police force which drew from teargases and the rubber balls.

Thursday April 14th

  • Cameroun: the Office of the High Commission of the United Nations for the refugees (HCR) indicated to the Agence France-Press (AFP) that “ more 15  000 Cameronians and 3  000 Central African their villages fled after the attacks of the cutters of road ” in the North-East of the country. These “highway bandits” would be Central African war veterans who “ kill, plunder and take hostages in this border region of the Central Africa, the pastors Bororos being the first victims of these exactions ”.

  • Guinea Equatoriale: Kolawole Olaniyan, chief of the African program of Amnesty International, declared that 70 political prisoners are likely to die of hunger in the prison of Playa Negra. The government decided to stop providing them food intakes.

  • Mauritania: A training course on the dangers of the AIDS and the means of prevention, organized by the Association of Oulémas of Mauritania and financed by the National Commission of Fight against AIDS took place with Nouakchott for 40 Fakih and Imam of mosques

  • Rwanda:

    • the general Marcel Gatsinzi, Minister for defense, announced that the government had burned approximately 6.000 weapons within the framework of its policy to fight against the proliferation of the light weapons.
    • Dominique Decherf, ambassador of France in Rwanda expressed, during a commemorative ceremony of the genocide, the “ regrets ” of France to have “ given up with their fate ” the Rwandan employees of the embassy of France. 18 of its employees were killed.

  • Togo: “Initiative 150”, movement created by the Togolese diaspora the shortly after the coup d'etat having followed the death of the former president, held a press conference to claim the carryforward of the presidential election of April 24th, 2005. The time seems to them indeed insufficient to organize free elections and transparent.

Friday April 15th

  • ACP Country: Signature of the deed of partnership of the ACP parliamentary Parliament (Peaceful Caribbean Africa) at the time of a ceremony official with Bamako (Mali), under the presidency of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, president of the National Assembly Malian, with the presence of members of Parliament of 77 countries.

  • Burkina Faso : On the initiative of association Solidarity young people, a multi-media caravan until April 29th will circulate in order to sensitize the population with the “problematic fight against the sexual violences made to the children ”.

Monday April 18th

Tuesday April 19th

  • Mali: Launching by the World food program (WFP) of a program “ Food complementary and support to the Community services of health ” in the area of Kidal, where 82% of the children suffer from anemia and 30% from deficiency in vitamin A.

Wednesday April 20th

  • Gambia: handing-over on a purely posthumous basis with Deyda Hydara, journalist assassinated the December 16th 2004, of the Price PEN/Barbara Goldsmith for freedom of expression (“ PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom To Write Awards ") by the defense association of the writers PEN American Center.

  • Togo: Tandja Mamadou, president of Niger in exercise of the Economic community of the States of West Africa (CEDEAO) met with Niamey three of the candidates to the presidential election: Faure Gnassingbé, Nicolas Lawson and Harry Olympio. Emmanuel Bob Akitani, candidate of the coalition of the opposition did not answer the invitation of the president of Niger. At the conclusion of the talks, Tandja Mamadou declared in an official statement that CEDEAO “ will not tolerate any form of disorders to the law and order ” during the poll and specified that the West African organization sent 150 electoral observers.

  • Zambia: An explosion in a factory of explosive in the copper mine of Chambishi (200 km of Lusaka) made more than 50 died.

Thursday April 21st

  • Togo:

    • the High ranking authority of L `audio-visual and communication (HAAC) suspended for one month the radio operator private kanal FM. To have diffused leading article on April 18th judged “ in defamatory matter, tendentious and abusive ” by the HAAC, the radio is shown to have enfreint the decree of March 29th, 2005 prohibiting with the private audio-visual mediums to cover the electoral campaign.
    • a collective of nine French associations, the Togo Coalition, whose Amnesty International the International federation of the Human rights (FIDH), Survival, declares that the free participation in the electoral process is made impossible

Friday April 22nd

  • the Comité inter-State of fight against the dryness in the Sahel (Cilss) announced to have to mobilize approximately 1 million euros to help the countries victims of the invasions acridiennes. Coming from gifts of the Arab Bank for economic development in Africa (BADEA) and of the American Agency for international expansion (USAID), they are intended for 8 countries: Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad.

  • Burkina Faso : The authorities fear an invasion of locusts “ of great scale during the program 2005-2006 ” and “ will plan actions ” to suppress the invasion affecting the west of the country, bordering on Mali and principal cotton production zone.

  • Togo:

    • In the night, Esso Boko, Minister of Interior Department, has, during a press conference, to require the suspension of the presidential election and the installation of a transition with a Prime Minister resulting from the opposition in order to avoid a foreseeable blood bath. Abbas Bonfoh, president by interim, after having dismissed the minister, ensured that the election would take place Sunday well and that “ the necessary measures so that the presidential election proceeds in the calm one and serenity ” had been taken by the safety and police force.
    • the French governmental organization Survie shows the French president to exert “ strong pressures on the chiefs D `State of CEDEAO so qu `they S `abstain to disapprove with determination turpitudes D `a totalitarian system ready with very to be maintained ”. It invites Jacques Chirac with “ to respect the aspirations of the Togolese people to the democracy and to publicly withdraw any support of France for the dictatorial mode ”.

Sunday April 24th

  • Togo: Presidential election for the succession of Gnassingbé Eyadema. At least three people died and 13 others wounded by shootings of soldiers who tried to recover ballot boxes in polling stations.

  • Rwanda: Protais Musoni, Minister for the Rwandan Local government announced that since the beginning of April, approximately 2.000 Rwandan had taken refuge with the Burundi and 1200 in Uganda in order to escape the judgment from the gacaca, courts of justice traditional charged to consider the presumed authors of crime committed at the time of the genocide of 1994.

Monday April 25th

  • Paludism: At the time of the African day against paludism , Dr. Luis Sambo, regional director for Africa of the the World Health Organization (WHO) invited the African countries has to coordinate the fight against the disease which makes a million per annum dead in the African children.

  • Convention against the proliferation of the light weapons: The Office of the United Nations against drug and the crime (ONUDC) announced that the “ Protocole against the illicit manufacture and the traffic of firearms, their parts, elements and ammunition, additional with the Convention of the United Nations against organized transnational criminality ” tie-beam in force following the ratification by the Zambia. This country is the 40e State to ratify this convention adopted by the general meeting of the the United Nations on June 8th, 2001. Sources:

  • Ethiopia: Return of the third part of the Obelisk of Axoum, monument stolen by the troops of Mussolini in 1937 and held since then by the Italy. The rebuilding of the monument is scheduled for September.

  • Sudan: An international delegation, made up of representative of European country, of Japan, of the United States and Canada, met with Khartoum persons in charge of ONG Sudanese woman, of which Hamid Ahmad Abdelalim, chief of the National center of action against mines (NMAC). The war with the Southern Sudan, which caused the exile of 4 million people ended with the peace agreement signed in January. However, approximately two million antipersonnelles mines was widespread in the zone. 2500 people were killed by the explosion of mines during the 5 last years.

Tuesday April 26th

  • Education: The Regional office for Education in Africa of UNESCO (BREDA) organizes a sous-régional workshop on the topic of the “ promotion of the access and quality of education for the excluded children ” with Dakar (Senegal), with representatives of Cape Verde, of Gambia, of Guinea, of the Guinea-Bissau, of Liberia, of Mali, of Niger, of Senegal and Sierra Leone. In sub-Saharan Africa, “ 40 million children does not have access to any form of education ” brings back the Senegalese daily newspaper the Sun. Ibrahima Fall, delegated minister in charge for the teaching Questions of Senegal estimated that the assessment of the program “Éducation for all” (EPT) is “ overall disappointing ” and its too slow realization “ ”. In Senegal, less than 30% of the teenagers from 13 to 16 years attend the college.

Sources: Sun and Sénégalaise News agency.

  • Ivory Coast: Laurent Gbagbo, president of the republic answered favorably at the request of Thabo Mbeki by declaring with journalists that “ only for the presidential election of October 2005, in accordance with the letter of the South-African mediator, the candidates introduced by the political parties signatories of the Agreement of Marcoussis are eligible ”.

  • Togo: The independent National electoral commission announced, that with the sight of the provisional results, Faure Gnassingbé had gained the presidential election with 60,22% of the votes in front of Emmanuel Bob Akitani (38,19%) and Harry Olympio (0,55%). With the advertisement of the results, riots started in the streets of Lome.

Wednesday April 27th

  • Ivory Coast: Alassane Ouattara confirmed that he would be the candidate of the Rassemblement of the republicans to the presidential election of October 2005.

  • Togo:

    • Emmanuel Bob Akitani proclaimed president while declaring with journalists: “Togolese , Togolese, your president speaks to you, yes your president, because we did not lose the presidential elections ”. He affirmed that in the maritime area, traditionally favorable to the opposition, “40% of the voter registration cards had not been distributed”.
    • Since the proclamation of the victory of Faure Gnassingbé Eyadema by the electoral commission Tuesday, April 26, at least 22 people died and a hundred others were wounded in confrontations in Lome between partisans of the opposition and police force. Among the victims, one would count 8 Natives of Niger.
    • In the town of Aného, with five kilometers of the Beninese border of the confrontations had Tuesday place and Wednesday between and the partisan police force of the opposition. The central police station and a hotel was ransacked. At least eight people would have been killed.
    • the observers of the CEDEAO consider that the election was credible in spite of the noted “anomalies”.
    • France, which called with “ the reconciliation between all the Togoleses and with the starter of an essential dialog for the future of the country ” and which supports the proposal of CEDEAO to constitute a government of national union, called its nationals present at Togo with vigilance. Certain demonstrators indeed begin some to the French, marked to support the capacity. Some French houses would have been plundered in Lome.

Thursday April 28th

  • CEN-SAD : Meeting with Bamako of the ministers in charge for the equipment and transport of the the Community of the Sahélo-Saharan States by Ousmane Issoufi Maïga, Prime Minister Malian. The day order relates to a great project of interconnection of the Member States, allowing opening-up. Two conventions were signed, bearing on the co-operation road transport transit and on the maritime transport.

  • Sudan: The Council of peace and safety of the African Union approved the reinforcement of his holding fixture of peace in Darfur. Its manpower will pass from 2200 to 7700 men

  • Togo:

    • Approximately 3000 Togoleses, mainly of the women and the children, took refuge with the Bénin to flee violences.
    • Femi Falana, president of the Association of the bar of West Africa which claims the cancellation of the presidential election in particular declared that “ to form a national government on the basis of faked election will run up against the resistance of the Togolese people ”.
    • the Union interafricaine of the human rights (UIDH) claims the cancellation of the poll of April 24th that it qualifies “ electoral masquerade ” and asks for the organization of a new election organized by a “ true ” national electoral commission independent with the presence of all the representatives of political parties. She condemns prohibition made to the private press cover the electoral campaign and the frauds noted in many polling station of the capital and denounces France which she considers responsible for violences by guaranteeing this election.

Friday April 29th

  • Ivory Coast: France presented to the Safety advice of the United Nations two resolutions on the Ivory Coast, one concerning the monitoring of the elections of October 30th so that they are “ free, right, transparent and in conformity with the international criteria ” and the second prolonging the mission of the ONUCI for one month.

  • Djibouti: The United Nations for the food and agriculture (FAO) launched “ an emergency call for capital, of an amount of 4 million dollars, to get veterinary fodder, water and care with the cattle, in Djibouti, where the aggravation of the dryness, which had at three consecutive years of erratic rains, threatens of famine some 30.000 wandering stockbreeders ”.

  • Liberia: Stephan Dujarric, spokesperson of the the United Nations, indicated that soldiers of the mission of UNO are shown to have misused sexually the women and the young girls according to an preliminary investigation.

  • Togo: On Thursday night, the Institute Goethe of Lome, German arts center, was burnt. The fire of criminal origin could be the fact of member of the army in answer to the support brought by Germany for the Togolese opposition.

Saturday April 30th

  • Lesotho: First local elections in the country since independence in 1966.

  • Togo:

    • a joint delegation with the Economic community of the States of West Africa (CEDEAO) and African Union was able at Lome in order to try to find an exit with the political crisis. It met Abbas Bonfoh, president by interim, Kofi Sama, Prime Minister and the persons in charge of the Rassemblement of the Togolese people (RPT, party in power) and of the coalition of the opposition. The opposition claims that the African Union ensures the protection of the civil populations and that the provisional results of the presidential election are checked by an independent structure. Rammed Dramani, general secretary of the RPT, recalled that its party tightened the hand with the opposition for the constitution of a government of national union.
    • the Office of the High Commission of the United Nations for the refugees (HCR) indicates in an official statement that more 11  000 Togoleses, fleeing the political disturbances, took refuge with the Bénin and the Ghana.

Sources

  • Agency France-Press;
  • intelligent the;
  • Angola Presses;
  • Rise (Mali);
  • Maliba.com; * Panapress;
  • Nouvel Observateur;
  • Sidwaya ;

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