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Tuesday 21 February 2006


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IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 313 7-13 January 2006

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

CONTENTS:

DRC: Voters give new constitution overwhelming support
DRC: Retraining of prison officials begins in France
TANZANIA: Cholera breaks out in Dar es Salaam
TANZANIA: Government pardons, rehires medics
UGANDA: Situation in north "extremely grave", says UN official
UGANDA: Ugandan rebels still getting aid from Sudan, says ICG
UGANDA: LRA rebels attack disco, kill three

ALSO SEE:

GREAT LAKES: Year in Review 2005 - Returnees and refugees
Full report

DRC: Voters give new constitution overwhelming support

Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo have, by an overwhelming majority, approved a new constitution put to a referendum in December 2005.

The results of the referendum, released on Wednesday by the Independent Electoral Commission, show that 84.31 percent voted for and 15.69 percent against.

Commission Chairman Apolinnaire Malumalu said the results of the 18 and 19 December plesbicite would have to be endorsed by the Supreme Court before they become definitive. He said 61.97 percent of the 25 million registered voters - that is 15.5 million voters - cast ballots; 38.3 percent abstained.

Full report

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DRC: Retraining of prison officials begins in France

The retraining of 20 Congolese civilian and military prison personnel began on Wednesday in the southwestern French town of Agen, as part of the Democratic Republic of Congo's effort to shore up its maintenance of the rule of law, the press attaché at French embassy in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, said.

The official, Pascal Perennec, said training at the National Penitentiary School of Administration at Agen (l’Ecole Nationale de l’Administration Pénitentiaire d’Agen) would cost 112,000 euros (US $135,241). The training is part of a larger three-million-euro ($3.6 million) project that includes revamping the judiciary and the police.

Full report

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TANZANIA: Cholera breaks out in Dar es Salaam

At least 52 cases of cholera have been reported in parts of the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, over the last month, a city official said on Tuesday.

"We are worried over more new cases although we have warned the people to adhere to rules of hygiene, including boiling drinking water, use of toilets and washing hands with soap," Gaston Makwembe, the Dar es Salaam City Information Officer, said.

However, he said an acute shortage of water due to drought could be one of the reasons for increased cases of cholera because people use water from ponds and other unsafe sources.

Full report

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TANZANIA: Government pardons, rehires medics

The government has pardoned and rehired 224 medical personnel it had sacked in November 2005 after they went on strike for better pay and working conditions, Health Minister David Mwakyusa said on Tuesday.

However, he said the pardon did not extend to 29 others believed to have been the ringleaders of the strike. The doctors' action lasted several weeks, paralysing operations at the Muhimbili National Hospital, the country's largest health facility.

He said the government pardoned the strikers because they apologised in writing to the former prime minister, Frederick Sumaye. The government has started withdrawing military doctors it had deployed to Muhimbili to replace their striking civilian counterparts.

Full report

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UGANDA: Situation in north "extremely grave", UN official says

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, said on Thursday the human rights situation in Uganda's war-torn north was "extremely grave".

Speaking during her weeklong visit to the country she said, "People are deprived of social, material and human rights needs."

She added that rights violations by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) had been of "great magnitude. However, she said, the Uganda People's Defence Forces, which has been fighting a rebellion in the north for nearly 20 years, had also committed violations.

Full report

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UGANDA: Ugandan rebels still getting aid from Sudan, says ICG

Sudanese military officers have continued to aid the LRA, despite international arrest warrants for the rebel group's leaders, the International Crisis Group, a think-tank, said on Wednesday.

It said LRA leader Joseph Kony's location roughly 100 km north of Juba, southern Sudan, indicated he was still being given sanctuary "by elements in the government".

However, the ICG said while the Sudanese government had admitted using Kony for its destabilisation strategy against a rebellion in the south in the past, any support currently being given to the LRA did not reflect official policy.

Full report

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UGANDA: LRA rebels attack disco, kill three

LRA rebels killed three revellers on Sunday at a discotheque in Zaipi sub-county in Adjumani District, northwestern Uganda. They also wounded 12 others critically, northern Uganda army spokesman Lt Chris Magezi said.

He said the army had caught up with the rebels on Monday killing two; one of whom he said was a LRA "major". He also said the army killed five rebels in unrelated battles in the country’s northern region on Sunday; three along the River Aswa in Pader District, one in Kitgum and another in Gulu.

Full report

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent Great Lakes reports:

Regional ministerial meeting opens, 20/Feb/06

Officials agree to strengthen cooperation on epidemic prevention, 17/Feb/06

Health experts plan ways of countering epidemics, 15/Feb/06

Treat rape as crime against humanity, women urge, 9/Feb/06

Regional summit to be held after DRC polls, UN envoy says, 1/Feb/06

Other recent reports:

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Donors pledge support for humanitarian crisis, 21/Feb/06

ANGOLA: Ready to play larger security role in Africa, 21/Feb/06

CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap, 17/Feb/06

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 270 for 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 317 covering 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

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