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Sunday 25 December 2005


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IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 291 for 6-12 August 2005

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENTS:

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Prime minister visits flooded area
BURUNDI: 522 refugees return from Rwanda
UGANDA-DRC: Fleeing Congolese return home
DRC: Governments agree to repatriate 152,000 refugees
GREAT LAKES: EU grants 4 million euro to ICRC for protection programme
TANZANIA: EU donates 7 million euro for food to refugees
TANZANIA: Six people injured in political violence in Zanzibar
TANZANIA: Most political parties sign on to election code
RWANDA: Release of suspects in the 1994 genocide angers survivors

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Prime Minister visits flooded area

Prime Minister Elie Dote said on Friday the government would do all it could to help the thousands of residents affected by flood waters in parts of the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), after torrential rains battered the city last weekend.

"I have seen what happened in this area and the affected population needs help," he told reporters after inspecting Lingussa, one of the Bangui's neighbourhoods.

Despite the shortage of funds, he said, the government had to help alleviate the plight of the victims. The CAR Red Cross Society has said in its latest emergency appeal that, provisionally, 9,076 people are affected. However, with many people having sought shelter elsewhere this figure could not be verified immediately.

Full report

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BURUNDI: 522 refugees return from Rwanda

A total 522 of the Burundians who began fleeing into neighbouring Rwanda since October 2004 have returned home in vehicles provided by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

Hundreds of other Burundian refugees in Rwanda have been returning since June. Many said they had feared political violence in the build up to Burundi’s elections.

UNHCR and Burundi's leading human rights organisation, Iteka, will monitor the reintegration of the refugees who returned to ensure they are protected, UNHCR Public Information Assistant Didier Bukuru said. The government and aid organisations are providing the returnees food, kitchen utensils and farming tools to help them restart their lives. The African Development Bank is providing money for vegetable seeds for the returnees, the minister for resettlement of refugees, Francoise Ngendahayo, said on 5 August.

Full report

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UGANDA-DRC: Fleeing Congolese return home

Some 40 combatants and over 100 civilians who had fled into western Uganda from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week have returned to their country, a Ugandan military spokesman, Lt Chris Magezi, said on Tuesday.

He said the situation WAs now calm although the Ugandan military was still on alert in case Ugandan rebel groups based on the DRC side of the border took advantage of the confusion to attack Uganda.

The fighting took place in the DRC’s eastern province of North Kivu around the border town of Ishasa, forcing civilian to flee into Uganda on 6 August. Magezi said during the fighting a stray bullet wounded one person in Uganda. Two bombs also exploded inside Ugandan but no one was hurt.

He said the fighting was between Mayi-Mayi militiamen and fighters from the former rebel movement Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma), which is now a party to the DRC’s post-conflict government.

Full report

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DRC: Governments agree to repatriate 152,000 refugees

The DRC and Tanzanian governments agreed at a meeting on Thursday to repatriate 152,000 Congolese refugees to South Kivu Province in September, despite concerns by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, about the security and human rights conditions there.

UNHCR Public Relations Officer Jens Hesmann told IRIN on Thursday that the three-day meeting in Lubumbashi, Katanga Province, involved representatives of the two governments and UNHCR. They signed a document of recommendations and practical modalities for the repatriation of the refugees.

The agreement was reached as more refugees continue to return home voluntarily following the start of voter registration on 20 June for the 2006 general elections. Hesmann said at least 10,000 Congolese refugees had returned home since October 2004.

Full report

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GREAT LAKES: EU grants 4 million euro to ICRC for protection programme

The European Commission decided on 5 Aug to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) four million euros ($4.9 million) to support its programmes protecting people displaced by armed conflicts, deprived of their freedom and separated from their relatives in three central African nations as well as in several nations in Asia, the EU Information Office said.

It said the grant was in response to the ICRC's 2005 emergency appeal. The African countries to be targeted are the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and Rwanda; all of which are at different levels of recovery from armed conflicts.

The EU office said the ICRC would determine how much should be allocated to each country. The money is to be used by July 2006. An ICRC spokesman in Geneva, Marco Jimenez, said on Monday the organisation would use the money for food and drugs as well as to improve hygiene, health care and water systems.

Full report

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TANZANIA: EU donates 7 million euro for food to refugees

The EU has donated seven million euro ($8.7 million) to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for its operations in refugee camps in Tanzania, the UN agency said on Wednesday. The funding, made available on 5 August, will provide 400,000 refugees with maize, beans, vegetable oil and gains for almost three months, the agency said.

Full report

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TANZANIA: Six people injured in political violence in Zanzibar

At least six people were injured in Tanzania's semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar on Sunday in the latest incident of political violence.

Witnesses said a gang of about 15 youths armed with machetes, iron bars and sticks attacked supporters of the main opposition party, the Civic United Front (CUF). A witness, Zanzibari resident Salma Mohamed, said the attackers appeared to be supporters of ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) known as Janjawid.

The assistant police commissioner George Kizuguto confirmed that the incident took place but declined to give details.

The CCM and CUF are locked in bitter rivalry over political control of Zanzibar and Pemba islands with nationwide elections scheduled for 30 October. Voter registration was suspended twice this year due to violence which left dozens injured and at least two dead.

www.reliefweb.int

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TANZANIA: Most political parties sign on to election code

Twelve of the 18 registered political parties signed a code of conduct on Wednesday which lays out rules for the country’s general elections in October.

For example, when the election campaign starts on 21 August, candidates will be obliged to campaign in the national language of Swahili, rather than in other local languages or English.

The five-page document, which is written in Swahili, calls itself "an agreement between political parties, the government and the National Electoral Commission".

According to one rule, "The government-owned media, both print and electronic, must provide fair coverage to all political parties throughout the campaigning period".

Full report

[TANZANIA: Hundreds of women eye political posts; one the presidency]

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RWANDA: Release of suspects in the 1994 genocide angers survivors

Rwandan genocide survivors issued on Monday a collective complaint to the government about its decision on 29 July to release tens of thousands of inmates, many of whom had confessed to taking part in the 1994 genocide.

"Their release will only serve to weaken the Gacaca courts as survivors will find these courts irrelevant," Ibuka, an umbrella organisation for Rwandan genocide survivors, said in a communiqué.

The Gacaca courts were set up in 2002 to bring to trial many of the genocide suspects.

The government released around 36,000 prisoners in the first week of August. It did so in part because the justice system has not been able to cope with over 80,000 prison inmates. Many have been incarcerated for most of the 10 years since the genocide occurred. So far, few have been brought to trial.

Full report

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent CENTRAL & EASTERN AFRICA reports:

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 310 17-23 December 2005, 23/Dec/05

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 309 10-16 December 2005, 16/Dec/05

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 308 3-9 December 2005, 9/Dec/05

UN appeal seeks $154.5 million for recovery efforts , 7/Dec/05

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 307 26 November to 2 December 2005, 2/Dec/05

Other recent reports:

RWANDA: Body found in Brussels canal confirmed that of ex-minister's, 23/Dec/05

CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap, 23/Dec/05

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 309 covering 17 - 23 December 2005, 23/Dec/05

CENTRAL ASIA: IRIN-Asia Weekly Round-up 51 covering the period 17 - 23 December 2005, 23/Dec/05

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 262 for 17-23 December 2005, 23/Dec/05

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