EVENING REPORT 14/11/02

IVORY COAST REBELS REJECT DRAFT PEACE PLAN.

LOME: Ivory Coast rebels have rejected a draft plan presented by mediators at peace talks in Togo. They say the plan does not recognised the legitimacy of President Laurent Gbagbo and will only consider disarming when the crisis is resolved. The rebel delegation in Togo's capital Lome was due to meet Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema, who is leading a West African mediation team, this morning. The rebels delivered their response to him late last night. Hundreds of people died during four weeks of fighting in Ivory Coast after a failed coup on the nineteenth of September.

HUNDREDS OF GUNMEN WITHDRAW FROM KEY SOMALI TOWN.

MOGADISHU: Hundreds of gunmen have withdrawn from a strategic town in central Somalia after rival factions agreed to a ceasefire to end months of clashes in the region which killed more than 250 people. The gunmen have withdrawn from Baidoa, the capital of Bay region. This comes after traditional elders mediated the ceasefire last week between forces loyal to Colonel Hassan Mohamed Nur Shargudud and those loyal to Sheikh Adan Madobeh. Shargudud is chairman of the Rahanwein Resistance Army, while Madobeh is one of two of his former deputies who led a mutiny against Shargudud in July.

THREE UGANDAN SOLDIERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MUTINYING.

KAMPALA: At least three Ugandan soldiers have been sentenced by a military court to death by hanging for allegedly participating in a mutiny. An army spokesperson says a military court sitting in Gulu has sentenced privates Ashraf Gilo, Awana Agali and Charles Hussein to death for participating in a mutiny last August at Andi army detachment in Adjuman district, 600 kilometres northwest of the capital, Kampala. The court martial also sentenced two other soldiers to death for murder. According to the military prosecutor, the August mutiny led to the release of army private Angello Debo, who had been arrested for murdering another soldier, Vincent Buregeya.

EFFORTS CONTINUE TO BROKER PEACE IN BURUNDI.

KAMPALA: Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa is expected in Kampala tomorrow for a one-day visit for talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni on the Burundi peace process. Museveni's spokesperson says Mkapa's visit comes only three days after the Ugandan president said that warring parties in the Burundi conflict had been give two further weeks to finalise a ceasefire. The Burundian parties failed to meet a previous deadline when talks in Dar es Salaam ended without agreement earlier this month. The extension of the talks was announced on Tuesday after Museveni met with the South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma who is the chief facilitator of the talks on Burundi.

MALAWI POLICE AND STREET VENDORS CLASH.

BLANTYRE: In Malawi, a standoff between angry street vendors and riot police turned into chaos when the vendors blocked a highway with boulders and police opened fire with tear gas and rubber bullets. The vendors were angry over efforts by the government in Malawi's commercial capital of Blantyre to force them off the streets and into a newly-built flea market building. About two-thousand streets vendors complained they would lose money if forced to give up their lucrative locations and refused to move. Malawian city officials forced the vendors into the market when it opened on Monday, but many decided to go back to their former locations.

ZIMBABWE'S MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LOSES COURT APPEAL.

HARARE: The main opposition in Zimbabwe has lost a court appeal demanding a computerised list of all nationals who had been registered to vote in March's disputed presidential elections. The ruling will force the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which alleges fraud in the voters rolls, to manually input information on the five-point-six million registered voters into computers for analysis. The party had wanted copies of the election commission's compact discs so computer specialists could search for irregularities and duplications in the rolls. The Supreme Court in Harare ruled there was no legal provision for the discs to be handed over.

NIGERIAN NAVY FORCES RAID VILLAGE.

PORT HARCOURT: Nigerian navy forces have raided a village in the swamps of the Niger Delta in apparent retaliation for the robbery of officers guarding Chevron Texaco oil workers. Witnesses say five people were killed in the raid. Witnesses say the attack occurred at the village of Okerenkoko, southwest of the oil port of Warri. It has been reported that during the raid, troops fired shots in the air and burned down several homes, burning alive two children hiding inside. Three adults were trampled to death in the villagers' rush to escape the raid. Local government and Nigerian navy officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

GUINEA-BISSAU'S PRESIDENT TO DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT.

LISBON: Guinea-Bissau's president Kumba Yalla says he plans to dissolve parliament and call early elections in the country. Yalla was elected in January 2000 following legislative elections in November 1999, which were designed to return the former Portuguese colony of one-point-three million people to normal life after an army mutiny in 1998. Guinea-Bissau has seen two coup attempts since returning to full civilian rule in February 2000.

FEARS HOUSES MIGHT COLLAPSE IN MOROCCAN CITY.

CASABLANCA: Nearly nine-thousand families in the Moroccan port city of Casablanca fear that their homes could fall down at any moment. A local newspaper says the 500 houses at risk, where many families live in a single room, are in the 18 poorest parts of town. The paper says people are in constant danger, particularly in the Derb Soltane district. Three people were killed and 15 injured when a building collapsed in the medina, Casablanca's fortified old town. early this month.

MADAGASCAR'S SPORTS MINISTRY DISSOLVES FOOTBALL FEDERATION.

ANTANANARIVO: Madagascar's sports ministry says it has dissolved the Malagasy Football Federation. The ministry says it has acted following an inquiry carried out in August. No further details have been given. Observers say tension between the ministry and the federation has been building for some time. The ministry is allegedly disappointed over the appointment of Swiss trainer Hans Heineger to the national team, favouring a German coach instead. Sports experts in the capital Antananarivo say they are worried that the decision to dissolve the federation could jeopardise the national's team's chances to qualify for the 2004 African Nations Cup.

ALL ROUNDER HEATH STREAK INCLUDED IN ZIM WORLD CUP SQUAD.

HARARE: All rounder Heath Streak has been included in a preliminary World Cup squad of 30 named by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, despite his recent injury problems. Streak, who usually captains his country when fit, has been sidelined since he dislocated his shoulder in a traffic accident during the Champions Trophy in Colombo in September.

EGYPTIAN ZAMALEK TO MEET D.R.C. TP MAZEMBE IN SEMI-FINAL.

CAIRO: Hossam Hassan and his youthful striking partner Abdelhalim Ali will be in the spotlight tomorrow when Egyptian club Zamalek meet TP Mazembe Englebert as they chase a record fifth title in the African Champions League. A near-capacity crowd at Cairo's massive International stadium, which has a capacity of 100-thousand, is expected to cheer Zamalek in their semi-final, second leg tie after the Egyptian club drew one-one away in the first leg in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Raja Casablanca host ASEC Abidjan of the Ivory Coast in the other semi-final, second leg tie in Morocco on Sunday.

Prepared in Johannesburg, South Africa, by Mbulelo Dlamini Maqhubu and Micel Schnehage.

MIDDAY REPORT 14.11.2002.

SUDAN REITERATES IT IS NOT SUPPORTING REBELS IN UGANDA.

KAMPALA: The Sudanese envoy to Uganda has denied that his country has resumed support to rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army as claimed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The president warned yesterday, that his government would sever diplomatic ties with Sudan if allegations that members of the Khartoum government had resumed support for L.R.A. rebels were proved true. Ambassador Surajjudin Muhammed said the L.R.A. was an enemy to both the Ugandan and Sudanese armies. Uganda and Sudan restored full diplomatic relations earlier this year, which had been broken off in 1995, after accusing each other of supporting their respective rebels.

UN URGES IRAQ TO HONOUR RESOLUTION.

WASHINGTON: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Baghdad to allow United Nations weapons inspectors to do their work in Iraq. This follows Saddam Hussein's acceptance of the tough new Security Council resolution, which will return U.N. experts to the country for the first time in four years. The Iraqi ambassador to the U.N. delivered a letter to Annan criticising the U.S. and Britain, but saying Baghdad would abide by the resolution without conditions. The U.N. Secretary-General, after meeting American President George W. Bush at the White House, said he was in agreement with the American leader.

SOUTH AFRICA BRACES FOR EL NINO.

PRETORIA: The South African government is formulating contingency plans in case the El Nino weather phenomenon affects South Africa. El Nino is an area of pressure in the southern Pacific Ocean. It causes weather abnormalities in the Southern Hemisphere. Weather forecasters in South Africa have predicted less rain and farmers have warned that the country's maize crop could be affected if it does not rain within the next three weeks. South African Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza met with representatives of the farming sector at the Presidency in Cape Town. She says the government is monitoring the situation and is looking at providing safety nets for vulnerable farmers. At least 14-million people in Southern Africa face starvation due to crop failures as well as government-supported land invasions in Zimbabwe.

SOUTH AFRICAN MINING HOUSE SEEKING LEGAL ADVISE.

JOHANNESBURG: South African mining company, Gencor, says it is obtaining legal advice after being named as co-defendant in the case in which thousands of South Africans are claiming compensation from a British company, Cape P.L.C., for asbestos-related ailments. The case is being heard in Britain. Gencor says unlike Cape P.L.C., it is a South African company and does not fall under the jurisdiction of an English court of law. Cape P.L.C. reached a settlement with the claimants last year, but failed to pay out the first instalment by the due date. The claimants worked at an asbestos mine owned by Cape P.L.C. The mine was situated in the North-West Province of South Africa.

GERMAN COMPANIES REJECT LAWSUIT FROM APARTHEID VICTIMS.

BONN: German-American automaker DaimlerChrysler has dismissed as baseless a major class action lawsuit brought against it and 19 other major corporations and banks in the name of South African apartheid victims. A DaimlerChrysler spokesperson said the company did not believe the suit was justified, but added that it had not yet received a copy of the lawsuit and planned to review it when it arrived. A spokesperson for Commerzbank, Germany's fourth largest bank, which was also targeted in the case, noted that the head of its supervisory board, Martin Kohlhaussen, was an advisor to South African President Thabo Mbeki. The lawsuit was filed at a American federal court and seeks acknowledgement of wrongdoing and damages on behalf of the victims of apartheid.

EGYPT CRUSHES CORRUPTION.

CAIRO: Egypt has jailed a senior official at its state-run television for taking bribes to allow guests to appear on the country's main morning breakfast show. The official, Mohammed al-Wakil, was given 15 years. He was also given three years for possession of illicit drugs. This is the latest in a series of high-profile corruption trials, apparently intended to boost Egyptians' faith in state institutions.

MORNING REPORT 14.11.2002.

IVORIAN REBELS TO RESPOND TO PEACE PLAN BY WEST AFRICAN MEDIATORS.

ABIDJAN: Ivorian rebels say they will respond to a peace plan prepared by the Economic Community of West African States. However, the rebels warned they would reject any agreement that failed to address their main political demands. The rebels hold the mainly Muslim northern half of Ivory Coast. They are demanding President Laurent Gbagbo's resignation and new elections. They say they want to end years of ethnic discrimination against northerners. The government insists the rebels disarm, saying they just want to seize power. Rebel and government delegates have been holding peace talks in the Togolese capital of Lome for the past three weeks.

REBELS KIDNAP MAN IN NORTHERN UGANDA.

KAMPALA: Lord's Resistance Army rebels, active in northern Uganda, have kidnapped a supervisor who was delivering exam papers in the Pader district. The supervisor had been about to provide examination papers to the Pajure Technical College when he was spirited away. It is examination period in Uganda and some candidates from northern Uganda have been doing their exams at other schools in more peaceful areas. The Lord's Resistance Army intensified its attacks in northern Uganda in May this year, after the Ugandan army deployed troops in southern Sudan to flush the insurgents out of their rear bases.

POLICE IN GHANA ARREST MEN ACCUSED OF MURDERING KING.

ACCRA: Ghanaian police have arrested two men for the murder of King YAKUBU ANDANI The Second of the ethnic DAGOMBE group in Ghana. The traditional leader was killed in March this year, along with scores of others in ethnic clashes at the town of YENDI, 530-kilometers north of the Ghanaian capital of Accra. The two men were identified by the WUAKU commission, which was set up by President John Kuofor to probe the violence. The commission has recommended that 36 other people be prosecuted for taking part in the violence.

REBELS SEIZE TOWN FROM RIVAL FACTION IN NORTH-EASTERN CONGO.

KINSHASA: The United Nations says rebels from a small movement in north-eastern Congo have captured the town of Bafwasende from the Congolese Liberation Movement, which is dominant in the area. The U.N. says the town fell to the forces of the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Liberation Movement, who were given military support by Mai-Mai tribal fighters. Reports say there has been fighting in the Bafwasende region for almost a week. The Congolese Rally for Democracy-Liberation Movement is a splinter faction of the Congolese Liberation Movement.

ZAMBIAN COURT HEARS EVIDENCE OF POLL CORRUPTION.

LUSAKA: The Supreme Court of Zambia has heard that President Levy Mwanawasa's election campaign allegedly used money from Zambia's power company to print campaign posters. A former secretary of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy, Vernon Mwaanga, told the court the state-owned Zambian Electricity Supply Corporation paid more than 26-thousand dollars to print the posters. Mwaanga also said the President's office used public funds to print copies of the ruling party's manifesto booklet. Three opposition party candidates have asked the Supreme Court of Zambia to outlaw Mwanawasa's victory in the Presidential elections last year. They allege the poll was fixed. European Union election observers said the vote and its counting was seriously flawed.

MINORITY GROUP IN SOUTH AFRICA MEETS PRESIDENT.

CAPE TOWN: Leaders of a minority group in South Africa, the Freedom Front, have met President Thabo Mbeki. The leaders say they have had good discussions about Afrikaners' concerns. The talks focussed on language rights, farm security, affirmative action and the Afrikaner settlement, Oranje, in the North-West Province. Mbeki has apparently promised to raise these issues with the relevant Cabinet Ministers as a prelude to further talks. Freedom Front leader Pieter Mulder says the question of Afrikaner self-determination is still on the table.

AMERICAN BUSINESS DELEGATION DUE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

JOHANNESBURG: American Commerce Secretary Don Evans will lead firms from the U.S. on a business development mission to South Africa today. The two-day visit is geared at helping American companies develop contacts with the South African government. The delegation is scheduled to meet with President Thabo Mbeki as well as potential business partners. Participants on the business development mission include representatives from the information technology and business sectors, among others.

POLICE IN SOUTH AFRICA ARREST WEST AFRICAN CRIMINALS.

JOHANNESBURG: The police in South Africa's Gauteng Province have rounded up more illegal immigrants and say the group is connected to a spate of computer thefts in the Province. Eighteen suspects have been arrested in a raid in Pretoria, which netted stolen equipment worth 25-thousand dollars. The police confiscated lap tops, computer key boards, hard drives and stolen cellphones at an Internet cafe owned by a Nigerian in the city centre. Last night, police in Johannesburg raided a second computer shop in the suburb of Orange Grove and seized two-hundred-thousand dollars' worth of stolen computers and decoders. Two Cameroonians were arrested.

GENDER BIAS MEANS POOR HEALTH CARE FOR FEMALES.

DAR ES SALAAM: An international health conference in Arusha, Tanzania, has heard that gender bias in health care is making women and girls more susceptible to a variety of diseases. Researchers have told delegates at the Global Forum for Health Research that males are getting more and better health treatment because of discrimination. Some researchers say that the level of care for AIDS patients also differs between men and women. The forum brings together about 700 public health specialists from across the globe to look at the imbalance in health research favouring richer countries.

KENYA UNHAPPY ABOUT LIMITED IVORY SALES.

NAIROBI: Wildlife experts in Kenya have condemned a decision to allow three southern African nations to sell more than 60 tons of elephant ivory, arguing that it will increase poaching throughout the continent. On Tuesday, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa narrowly won a two-thirds majority of the votes at the United Nations Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES. The vote was for a one-off sale of their stockpiles of elephant tusks worth about five million dollars. The decision must be approved tomorrow, at the final session of the conference in Santiago, Chile. Kenya, which has seen its dwindling elephant population grow from around 16-thousand to 27-thousand since a global ban on ivory trade was imposed in 1989, has been a leading opponent of moves to open up the trade.

Prepared in Johannesburg, South Africa.

While these stories may be freely used, the source Channel Africa must be credited