- 2005 in Africa
:2005 in Africa -
2006 in Africa -2007 in Africa International organisations
African Union
* The first summit of heads of state of the
African Union 'sPeace and Security Council was held inLibreville (Gabon ) onJanuary 10 andJanuary 11 2005 . The summit focused on the situation inCôte d'Ivoire ,Democratic Republic of the Congo andDarfur .
* TheAfrican Union summit was held onJanuary 30 andJanuary 31 inAbuja (Nigeria ). The orders of the day included food security, the struggle againstpandemics such asHIV -AIDS ,malaria andpolio , as well as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD ) and the resolution of conflicts on the continent, especially inCôte d'Ivoire andDarfur .Several decisions were made during the summit:
* The establishment inSomalia of a peace force of 5000 to 7000 troops to assist in the stabilisation of the country. It will be organised by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD ), that joins Somalia and its neighbouring countries. In the first stage, its mandate will be limited to protecting the installation of the Somalian government.
* The deployment of a military force to disarm the Rwandan rebels, who are accused of being implicated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and have since then sought refuge in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo .Kofi Annan ,secretary general of the UN has sought to strengthen the partnership between the UN and theAfrican Union forAfrica to reach theMillennium Development Goals by 2015. He declared that "Africa isn't on schedule to reach the Millennium Development Goals. But it will be able to reach these goals if the world partnership, promised a long time ago, does come together completely".The question of how to represent Africa in the best possible way in the
UN Security Council was delayed, following a disagreement among the member countries of the African Union. This was referred to a committee composed of 15 countries to assemble inSwaziland from February 2005.The mandate of the current chairman,
Olusegun Obasanjo , president ofNigeria , was prolonged from July 2005 to January 2006. Next summits will be held inLibya in July 2005 and inSudan in January 2006.
* TheExecutive Council of the African Union , meeting onMarch 7 andMarch 8 2005 inAddis Ababa (Ethiopia ), decided to propose that Africa is represented by two permanent members of theSecurity Council of theUN . These representatives will need to have the same rights as the other council members, notably the veto power.
* A summit of the African Union was held inSurt (Libya ) onJuly 4 andJuly 5 2005 . The Africanheads of states requested theG8 to totally cancel the debt of all African countries, and demanded that the continent is represented by two permanent members of the UN Security Council.Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
* On
January 19 2005 ,Tandja Mamadou , president ofNiger , was elected president of the Economic Community of West African States, replacingJohn Kufuor ofGhana .
* February 2005: the ECOWAS condemned the seizure of power by Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma inTogo following the death of his fatherGnassingbé Eyadéma .Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)
* The summit of the
heads of state of theEconomic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Cemac) was held onFebruary 11 2005 inLibreville (Gabon ). Present were the presidents of theCentral African Republic (François Bozizé ), of theRepublic of the Congo (Denis Sassou-Nguesso ), ofEquatorial Guinea (Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ), ofTchad (Idriss Déby ), ofGabon (Omar Bongo Ondimba , present chairman of CEMAC) andAbdou Diouf , secretary general of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.Paul Biya , president ofCameroon was represented by the chairman of the National Assembly. The summit mainly discussed economic aspects, notably the creation of the sub-regional airway companyAir Cémac in partnership with the groupRoyal Air Maroc .The summit also touched the situation in
Togo and welcomed a delegation, led byKokou Tozoun , minister of foreign affairs. A statement was made, inviting "the international community to encourage the Togo authorities to do its utmost to establish a swift and peaceful return of the peace process in the country".Omar Bongo Ondimba , present chairman of the Cemac, yielded his chair toTeodoro Obiang Nguema , president ofEquatorial Guinea .West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)
Tandja Mamadou , president ofNiger returned to the chair of the UEMOA following the summit of the organisation inNiamey (Niger ) onMarch 30 2005 . Different heads of state participated in the summit:Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal ),Mathieu Kérékou (Benin ),Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso ),Amadou Toumani Touré (Mali ),Henrique Rosa (Guinea-Bissau ) andTandja Mamadou (Niger ).Togo was represented byKoffi Sama , prime minister, andCôte d'Ivoire byThéodore Mel Eg , minister for regional integration and the African Union. In a final communiqué, the UEMOA congratulated itself for "the results on price stability in the Union, following a better provisioning of the food markets" and "welcomed the actions intended to preserve the value of the common currency", theCFA franc .Other organisations
* A youth forum for peace and development was held from the 10 to
12 January 2005 inConakry (Guinea ). Organized by theUNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in collaboration with theEconomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), it joined about fifty youngsters fromCôte d'Ivoire ,Guinea ,Liberia andSierra Leone , representatives of student's associations, executives of national youth organizations, as well as young people from the rural zones and the border areas of these four countries. These young people committed themselves to contribute to the consolidation of peace and the development of the West African sub-region, to promote the role of the young people in the process of peace and development in Côte d'Ivoire, and within the Union of the Mano River (UFM, joiningGuinea , Liberia andSierra Leone ).
* The evaluation meeting of the "Process of Bamako" (2000), bearing on the "institutions and democratic practice in the French-speaking countries", was organized inDakar (Senegal ) on 4 and5 January 2005 , by the Organisation internationale de la francophonie in partnership with the "Haut commissariat aux Droits de l'homme et à la promotion de la Paix" (High Office on Human Rights and on the Promotion of Peace) ofSenegal .
*UN :Benin , non permanent member of theSecurity Council since23 October 2003 will be chair during the month of February 2005.
*ACP countries -European Union : The 9th session of theACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was held from the 18 to22 April 2005 inBamako (Mali ). During this session, the "countries of the south" requested the European Union to take concrete measures against poverty. In a declaration entitled "Declaration of Bamako on the Millennium Development Goals", they ask for the cancellation of debts, measures aiming at laying down more equitable commercial rules, a more real partnership and an increase in the financial flow towards the developing countries. In parallel, the ACP countries must fight effectively against corruption, improve management of public expenditure, and reinforce the social measures, in particular regarding health and education.Conflict and civil war
Côte d'Ivoire
* On
11 January ,Thabo Mbeki , president ofSouth Africa , on a mission for the African Union went toYamoussoukro , political capital ofCôte d'Ivoire , to attend the Council of Ministers. The ministers of Forces Nouvelles (the rebel movement) did not attend this council. According toAgence France-Presse (AFP), their absence was interpreted to be "a sign of dissatisfaction with the conclusions of this summit, which granted presidentLaurent Gbagbo the right to organise a referendum to seek adoption of the revision of article 35 of the Constitution on the conditions for eligibility for the presidency of the Republic".
* On22 January , the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI ) authorized the Cote d'Ivoire government to repair its air fleet, destroyed on6 November 2004 by the French soldiers of theOperation Unicorn , without the possibility to re-arm them.Guillaume Soro , secretary general of the Forces Nouvelles considers this to be "a serious act within the peace process". On23 January , during a press conference inBouaké , he declared: "To be able to disarm, one needs an environment of confidence. One does not disarm in distrust, and even less when challenged".
*South Africa n presidentThabo Mbeki received on23 January inPretoria a number of representatives of the opposition to discuss the peace process.Alassane Dramane Ouattara , candidate for the Rassemblement des républicains (RDR) andLambert Kouassi Konan , vice-president of the Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI ) were welcomed first, beforeGuillaume Soro , leader of the rebel Forces Nouvelles.Alassane Dramane Ouattara shared his wish that the presidential elections, planned for October 2005, would be organized by theUnited Nations for them "to be undisputed by anyone".
* The Security Council of the United Nations on1 February unanimously adopted a resolution, presented byFrance , reinforcing the effectiveness of the armsembargo . This resolution 1584 authorizes theblue helmets of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI ) and French soldiers of theOperation Unicorn to inspect without notice planes and freight vehicles using the ports, airports, airfields, military bases and border posts.Pascal Affi Guessan , chair of theFront populaire ivoirien , the party of presidentLaurent Gbagbo , stated to be surprised and disappointed by this measure which he describes as "unnecessary provocation".
* TheSecretary General of theUnited Nations indicates, in a report of24 March 2005 on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, that "in spite of the commendable efforts that President Mbeki undertook in the name of the African Union and of the encouraging prospects which opens the action plan of the African Union, the country remains actually divided". He worries about the economic decline of the country, of the ongoing violations of human rights, of the non-disarmament of the militia members and the fighters of the Forces Nouvelles. Fearing a serious confrontation in the country, he declares: "There is a real danger of the situation becoming uncontroleable, which may lead to unforeseeable consequences for the Côte d'Ivoire population and for the sub-region as a whole".
* Four political parties of the opposition, the "Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire" (PDCI ), the "Rassemblement des républicains" (RDR ), the "Union for democracy and peace in Côte d'Ivoire" (UDPCI ) and the "Mouvement des forces d'avenir" (MFA), in a joint declaration, asked "the Security Council of UNO with insistence for the renewal of the mandate of theOperation Unicorn and its stay in Côte d'Ivoire until the end of the electoral process, supporting theUN Forces". They expressed their support for the mediation started byThabo Mbeki , president ofSouth Africa and requested the "Forces nouvelles" to participate in the peace process.
* In a report, published on31 March 2005 , the human rights organizationHuman Rights Watch (HRW) states that several "hundreds of recently demobilizedLiberia n soldiers, among whom many children under 18" were recruited by the Côte d'Ivoire government since the beginning of the civil war.
*Thabo Mbeki , president ofSouth Africa and mediator for the African Union for the civil war in Côte d'Ivoire assembled on 4 and5 April in Pretoria the different protagonists of the conflict: presidentLaurent Gbagbo , Prime MinisterSeydou Diarra ,Guillaume Soro (Forces Nouvelles),Alassane Ouattara (Rassemblement des républicains),Henri Konan Bédié (Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire). An agreement to end the hostilities was reached which envisages the disarmament of the rebel forces and the different pro government militia. The question about eligibility for the presidency of the Republic could not be resolved.Thabo Mbeki has given himself one week to make proposals, after having consultedOlusegun Obasanjo , president ofNigeria and of theAfrican Union , andKofi Annan , Secretary General of the UNO. The presidential election remains scheduled for October 2005.Laurent Gbagbo was pleased with this agreement, as was the African Union, whose commission presidentAlpha Oumar Konaré congratulated the mediation by Thabo Mbeki.Guillaume Soro announced the imminent return to the government of the Forces nouvelles ministers.Democratic Republic of the Congo
* On
10 January , thePeace and Security Council of theAfrican Union , meeting inLibreville (Gabon ), decided in favour of assistance to Kinshasa for the disarmament of the old genocide forces (Interahamwe militia and ex-FAR (Rwanda n Armed Forces of the former regime), moved to the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1994.
* The office of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on17 January that at least 15.000 Congolese took refuge inUganda since11 January , fleeing the insecurity reigning in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
*25 January : release of the report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the group of experts formed according to resolution 1552 (arms embargo) of the UNSecurity Council .
*MONUC , "Mission of the United Nations (UN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)" announced on2 February that the 9000 inhabitants of the area ofTché , inIturi , are under protection of the UN, after disturbances that caused 52 deaths the days before.
*Ituri : the "Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo" (MONUC ) announced Wednesday9 February that the prosecutor ofBunia inIturi started legal proceedings after the attacks allotted to the militia members of the nationalists and integrationists front in the area ofTché since19 January . These attacks caused 52 deaths, mainly women, children and elderly people. Since29 January , more than 10.000 people sought the protection of the UN in Tché.
* InIturi , an area with interethnic violence that caused 50.000 deaths (and 500,000 displaced) since 1999, a group of 4000 militia members of the Forces armées du peuple congolais (FAPC) decided to depose arms and to adhere to the national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program. The militia members who disarm have the choice between being integrated in the regular army or to join the civil life.
* In a report published on7 march 2005 , the organizationHuman Rights Watch (HRW) denounces the fact that "less than one dozen attackers were prosecuted" whereas tens of thousands of women and young girls were violated since 1998 by the soldiers and the militia members in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
* TheUnited Nations Security Council unanimously adopted on30 March 2005 the resolution 1592 by which it extends, until1 October 2005 , the mandate of the "Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo" (MONUC ). It reaffirms its concern for the "hostilities that the armed groups and militia continue to maintain in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular in the provinces of North and South Kivu and in the district ofIturi " and requests the government to bring to justice the persons responsible for the "serious violations of human rights and of theinternational humanitarian law ". It considers "that the presence of elements of the former "Rwanda n Armed Forces" and theInterahamwe remains a threat on the local civil populations and an obstacle for the good neighbourship relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda" and invites theAfrican Union to co-operate with the MONUC.udan
outh-Sudan
A final agreement of peace in South-Sudan was signed on
9 January 2005 inNairobi between the Sudanese vice-presidentAli Osman Taha andJohn Garang , leader of the southern rebels of theSudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), putting a term to the longest conflict in Africa (21 years), that killed 1,5 million.During a 6 year period, this agreement envisages broad autonomy for the south of Sudan which will have its own government and an autonomous army. At the end of this period, a self-determination referendum will be organized. The income resulting from oil will be shared in equal share between the south and north. In addition, the government will have 70% of the positions in the central administration against 30% for the southern rebels. Lastly, theSharia (Islamic law) will be into force only in the north of the country, withMuslim majority. It will not be applied in the south, having a Christian and animist majority.On10 January , thousands of Sudanese expressed their joy in the streets ofKhartoum . The National Liberation Council of theSudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) ratified unanimously on24 January the peace agreement inRumbek .
* The Security Council of the UN adopted on24 march unanimously resolution 1590 presented by the United States which envisages the sending of aUnited Nations Mission In Sudan (Unmis) made up of 10 000 soldiers and 715 civil police officers in order to "support the implementation of the peace agreement" in South-Sudan, signed in January 2005 by the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) ofJohn Garang . This mission has an initial mandate of 6 months.
* At the donor conference which took place 11 and12 April inOslo (Norway ), the financial sponsors promised to give 4,5 billion dollars for the reconstruction of Sudan, devastated by 21 years of civil war.
*John Garang , leader of the former rebels in South-Sudan became vice-president of Sudan on9 July in accordance with the peace agreement of January 2005.
* After the death ofJohn Garang on30 July 2005 , he was replaced bySalva Kiir Mayardit on11 August 2005 .Darfur
* The
African Union decided to deploy a peacekeeping force in Darfur. The force should in the long term be made up of 3.320 men.
* On26 January an air raid took place on a village in Darfour, killing a hundred people.Adam Thiam , spokesman of the African Union declared that it was "the most serious attack performed these last months. It is more than a very serious violation of the cease-fire because it is not an isolated act". The acts of violence multiply these last weeks, a few days from the summit of the African Union which will be devoted in particular to the situation in Darfur.
*Kofi Annan , secretary-general of theUN , invited the United Nations on1 February to take urgent action to put an end to the massacres in the area ofDarfur in the south of Sudan. In a report, submitted the day before, UNO accuses the Sudanese government and the Arab militia to have committed in Darfur "serious violations" of the international law, equivalent to "war crimes" or "crimes against humanity", referring to the generalized practice of torture, rape, murder and plundering of civilians.
* On13 February 2005 ,Kofi Annan , Secretary General of the United Nations called uponNATO and theEuropean Union "to seriously study what they can undertake concretely to help to put an end to" the tragedy that is the war in Darfur, causing during the last two years the death of several tens of thousands and the displacement of 1,6 million.
* In a conference at theAgence France-Presse (AFP) on14 March 2005 , Jan Egeland,United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator , stated that the conflict in Darfour killed at least 180 000 during the last 18 months, an average of 10 000 deaths per month. These figures count people dying because of deprivations and diseases.
* TheUnited Nations Security Council adopted on29 March 2005 by 12 votes for and three abstentions (Algeria ,China andRussia ) a resolution presented by the United States installing sanctions (freezing of assets and prohibition of moving abroad) for those recognized guilty of having committed atrocities or threatening the peace process. A commission consisting in representatives of the 15 Member States of the Security Council will be charged to nominate these persons. The resolution also extends the embargo on arms and forbids the government to carry out offensive military flights over Darfur. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs esteems that this resolution, that it judges "unbalanced and inappropriate", does not take in account the "government efforts to deal with the questions related with politics, safety and the humanitarian situation in Darfur".
* TheUnited Nations Security Council adopted on30 March 2005 by 11 votes for and 4 abstentions (Algeria ,Brazil ,China and theUnited States ) a resolution allowing to bring the authors of exactions (murder, rapes or plunderings) in Darfour before theInternational Criminal Court (ICC). TheUnited States , opposed to the International Criminal Court stated that these nationals cannot be judged there. Thus, the resolution provides that "the citizens, responsible now or in the past, or the personnel of a State non party to the Treaty of Rome on the International Criminal Court, will be subjected to the exclusive jurisdiction of this State for any act supposedly related to operations in Sudan".
* ThePeace and Security Council of theAfrican Union approved on28 April the reinforcement of its peacekeeping force in Darfur. Its manpower will pass from 2200 to 7700 men.Political crisis in Togo
On
5 February 2005 , presidentGnassingbé Eyadéma died after having leadTogo for 38 years. According to the constitution, the chairman of the National Assembly should have been acting president until new presidential elections, to be held in 60 days. The army however decided to bring to power a son of the late president, Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma. To endorse the decision of the army, the parliament urgently modified the constitution. TheAfrican Union , the ECOWAS, theUN , the European Union condemned what they called a "coup d'etat " and demanded the re-establishment of the constitutional order. In spite of a ban on public demonstrations issued by the government, the principal opposition parties demanded free and pluralist elections and appealed each day for peaceful demonstrations, which gathered several hundreds to a few thousand people. These were dispersed by the police, using teargas. On25 February Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma renounced from the position of president of the Republic, and announced to be standing as a candidate to the presidential elections, to be held on24 April 2005 .Abass Bonfoh , vice-president of the National Assembly became acting president.Four candidates presented themselves at the election of
24 April : Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma, supported by the "Rassemblement du peuple togolais" (RPT ),Emmanuel Bob Akitani , candidate for the coalition of the radical opposition,Harry Olympio , candidate for the "Rassemblement pour le soutien à la démocratie et au développement" (RSDD , moderate opposition) andNicolas Lawson , a businessman who withdrew his candidature on22 April . The campaign was held in a climate of violence. The opposition denounced the conditions in which they had to prepare, and request a postponement of the election. Two days before the poll,François Boko , Minister for the Interior of the temporary government, requested the postponement of the scrutiny. In a press conference, he denounced "a suicidal electoral process". He was then forced to resign.The election took place on
24 April . It is marked by much violence, resulting in dozens of deaths. The results were proclaimed on26 April : Faure Gnassingbé, wins the election with 60,22% of the votes, before Emmanuel Bob Akitani with 38,19% and Harry Olympio with 0,55%. After the announcement, there was an outbreak of demonstrations in several cities of the country, denouncing the massive fraud. Clashes between demonstrators and the police occurred, involving hundreds of victims, died or wounded. Thousands of Togolese took refuge inBenin . ECOWAS, the European Union and France recognized the victory of Faure Gnassingbé Eyadema and called for the installation of a government of national unity. This was rejected by the radical opposition, that requested the cancellation of the elections because of the massive fraud.On
8 June ,Edem Kodjo , president of the "Convergence patriotique panafricaine" (CPP , moderate opposition), is appointed Prime Minister.Elections
*
Burkina Faso :Incumbent PresidentBlaise Compaoré is re-elected in the 2005 Presidential Elections on13 November . See also:Politics of Burkina Faso
*Burundi : In the Communal, National Assembly and Senate Elections of 2005 held on3 June , theNational Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (NCDD-FDD) dominated the communal councilors, National Assembly and Senate. See also:Politics of Burundi
*Djibouti :Incumbent PresidentIsmail Omar Guelleh won the Presidential Elections on8 April unopposed. The opposition headed a massive boycott of the elections, alleging that they were undemocratic and rigged. See also:Politics of Djibouti
*Ethiopia : In the General Elections held on15 May , theEthiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) won a majority of 327 out of the 547 total seats in theHouse of People's Representatives . The opposition claimed that the elections were fraudulent and unfair, sparking a wave of demonstrations inAddis Ababa , which were only stopped with the arrival of the police and military. See also:Politics of Ethiopia
*Gabon : Africa's longest-serving ruler,incumbent PresidentOmar Bongo Ondimba garners 79.18% of the vote in the 2005 Presidential Elections on27 November , winning another 7-year term. See also:Politics of Gabon
*Guinea :Environment
*
Biodiversity : While French presidentJacques Chirac organized a summit on biodiversity, bringing together scientists and politicians, thenongovernmental organization sGreenpeace andFriends of the Earth organized in Paris a counter-summit from 24 to27 January 2005 on the topic "how finally pass from discours to acts to protect biodiversity?" It was mainly focussed on saving therain forests and more particularly on theCongo Basin forest.
* Congo: An international summit onsustainable forestry incentral Africa took place on1 February inBrazzaville , in the presence of the presidents ofCameroun (Paul Biya ),Gabon (Omar Bongo Ondimba ),Chad (Idriss Déby ), theCentral African Republic (François Bozizé ) andEquatorial Guinea (Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ), as well as French presidentJacques Chirac .:* TheNGO s of central Africa denounced the refusal of the organizers to invite them to this conference and to hear their claims.Belmond Tchoumba of the "Centre Camerounais pour l'Environnement et le Développement " (Cameroun Environment and Development Centre) deplored that "all these people hold us in unacceptable contempt".Euloge N'Zobo , of the "Observatoire Congolais des Droits de l'Homme " (Congolese Observatory for Human Rights) noted that "the acts of conservation do not pay attention to those primarily concerned".:*Isidore Mvouba , Congolese Prime Minister proposed the creation of a Panafrican system of certification of forest products for export, which would support commercialisation and make it possible to fight against illegal cuts.
* Great Apes:Joseph Kabila , president of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo , announced on5 February inBrazzaville the organisation inKinshasa in September 2005 of the first intergovernmental world conference on Great Apes. InCentral Africa , fourspecies of Great Apes are threatened with extinction, because of deforestation and the various wars that have been held there these last years.
*Democratic Republic of the Congo : a report by the "Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature" (Institute for Nature Conservation) denounces the massacre of hundreds of elephants by poachers and soldiers in the Epulu reserve in the North-East of the country. An ivory traffic developed in 2004 in spite of the fact that the elephant is protected by theConvention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which prohibits ivory trade.
*Desertification : a regional workshop on the implementation of theUnited Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) was held inOuagadougou (Burkina Faso ) on11 February and brought together the "focal points" of the CCD, thenon-governmental organization s and theUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Being organized by the CILSS (Permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel ), it gave the participants the opportunity to exchange their experiences on the fight against desertification.
* The second African congress on oil joined inAlgiers on 16 and17 February 2005 the ministers for energy of twelve oil-producing countries of the African continent, and examined the means necessary to fight the pollution of the Mediterranean and African coasts byhydrocarbon s.
*Somalia : TheUnited Nations Environment Programme made public on23 February 2005 a report which reveals that thetsunami of26 December 2004 surfacedradioactive waste immersed illegally by Western countries on the coasts ofSomalia in the 1980s and 1990s.
*Uganda : Dr.Aryamanya Mugisha , executive of theNational Environment Management Authority (NEMA) announced in February that the production and importation of plastic bags would be prohibited in Uganda before the end of the year.
* The United NationsFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated on26 May 2005 that "theclimatic change threatens to increase the number of famished in the world by reducing the surface of farm lands in the developing countries" and particularly in the countries ofsub-Saharan Africa because of "their low capacity to adapt to the climatic change or to compensate for the fall of production with the import of food".
*Benin : On1 June , the "National Day of the Tree", instituted in 1985,Fatiou Akplogan , minister for agriculture, invited each Beninese to plant a tree to limit the effects of desertification.
*Environmental education : opening inOuagadougou of the Planet'ERE forum devoted to environmental education. The third edition of this French-speaking forum was inaugurated byBlaise Compaoré , president ofBurkina Faso in the presence ofAmadou Toumani Touré , president ofMali andHama Amadou , prime minister ofNiger .Human and natural catastrophes
*
Democratic Republic of the Congo : during the night of Saturday1 January , torrential rains caused a death and destroyed a hundred houses inUvira .
* During theAfrican Union summit inLibreville on10 January 2005 ,Gabon ese presidentOmar Bongo Ondimba proposed the creation of an African organization of urgent humanitarian intervention in the event of natural disaster or conflict.
* On the occasion of the world conference on prevention of natural disasters,Salvano Briceno , responsible for the international strategy of theUN for the prevention of disasters, insisted on the fact that "it is very important to concentrate on Africa because the vulnerability of the African countries is big". According to a study of the UN, 80% of the biological disasters (mainly associated with epidemics) took place in Africa during the decade 1994-2003.
*Migratory locust s: theFAO recommends the countries of Western and North-Western Africa (Mali ,Senegal ,Mauritania ,Gambia ,Guinea-Bissau ,Morocco ,Algeria ) to continue the fight against the migratory locusts and to remain vigilant in spite of the recent improvements. An international scientific seminar on the migratory locust was organized inDakar from 11 to13 January .Senegal ese presidentAbdoulaye Wade calls upon "all the Heads of State, both of the developed countries and of those in the developing process, all the sponsors and all the specialized agencies, to combine our efforts, in order to end this plague, which goes back in the mists of time".
*Madagascar : atropical storm , baptized Ernest, struck the island of Madagascar on 22 and23 January . A provisional assessment of28 January counts 7 dead and 79 disappeared in the south of the island. Nearly a thousand people are affected.
*Nigeria : vice-presidentAtiku Abubakar announced on4 February the installation of an advanced alarm system against urgencies and catastrophes, which should cover allWest Africa .
*Mozambique : the regional Water Administration of theZambezi announced on9 February 2005 that the floods caused by the rise of the level of the immense Zambezi river, due to strong rains since the end of January, have already affected 18.825 people, mainly peasants of the provinces of Tete and Sofala (center of Mozambique). Approximately 15 square kilometres of crops (rice , maize/corn,peanut and cassava/manioc) are lost.
*Mali : The Social, Cultural and Economic Council of Mali is studying during two weeks the different questions related to prevention and management of natural disasters with the objective to provide suggestions and recommendations to the authorities on prevention and management of environmental catastrophes (bush fires and deforestation, air and water pollution, sedimentation of rivers and proliferation of the water hyacinth in theNiger River bed).
*Ethiopia : in the area ofSomalia , 70 km to the east ofAddis Ababa , the rise of theShebelle River in April 2005 brought with it floods in more than 30 villages, causing the death of 134 people. Aid has trouble to arrive because of the presence of many crocodiles in the disaster zone.Water
* An international water conference organized by the
African Development Bank took place on31 March 2005 inParis in order to advance the African project "Initiative for Water Supply and Sanitation in Rural Africa".Omar Kabbaj , president of the African Development Bank, announced that "the balance of the resource needs stands at about 460 million dollars per year up to the end of 2007. It is our hope that the international donor community would, over time, rise to the challenge of financing the remaining resource requirements".Health
Malaria
* Following the recommendations of the
World Health Organization ,Nigeria decided to stop the prescription ofchloroquine , the parasite responsible for malaria becoming resistant to this molecule used until today. Nigeria will be usingArtemisinin , a more effective but also more expensive drug.
* The "Africa Live" festival, held inDakar (Senegal ) on 12 and13 March 2005 , presented several great names of African music, likeMali ansAli Farka Touré ,Salif Keïta ,Oumou Sangaré ,Rokia Traoré ,Tinariwen ,Tiken Jah Fakoly ofCôte d'Ivoire , CameronianManu Dibango ,Algeria n Khaled,Senegal eseDidier Awadi ,Baaba Maal andYoussou N'Dour , and the French rapperJoey Starr . These concerts are dedicated to the fight against malaria in Africa, responsible for the death of a child every 30 seconds on the African continent.
*Senegal : TheGlobal Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria refused to grant a complementary financing, requested by Senegal for the fight against malaria, considering that the first phase of the program had not reached the expected results.
* A study by the team ofRobert Snow of theKenya Medical Research Institute inNairobi , published on10 March 2005 in Nature estimates that approximately 515 million people were infected by malaria in 2002. 70% of the cases were recorded in Africa. This disease is responsible for the death of a million people each year, of which 90% in Africa.
* The 5th forum of theRoll Back Malaria (RBM) Global Partnership was held from 14 to19 November inYaounde ,Cameroon . It brought together 1500 researchers, doctors and politicians to make a state of affairs and "to launch a call to urgent action to contain the most devastating killer in Africa, malaria".Aids
*
Nelson Mandela , former president ofSouth Africa and well known face of the combat against apartheid, announced on6 January at a press conference inJohannesburg , that his 56 year old sonMakghato Mandela died of HIV-AIDS. "Speaking out is the only means of stopping AIDS being seen as an extraordinary disease, causing people to go to hell rather than to paradise", declared the man that for several years fights the taboo and discriminations related to this disease.
*Guinea-Bissau :Brazil will offer anantiretroviral treatment to Guinean AIDS patients (officially 43 000) following an agreement signed by the two countries which also includes medical staff training and care for hiv positives.
*Madagascar : the African Development Fund (ADF) decided on17 January on a grant of nine million dollars for the fight against AIDS andsexually transmitted disease s, with which Madagascar will provide blood transfusion safety and better access to preventive and curative care.
* The fourth edition of the "Scenarios from Africa " contest was launched on1 February . It is aimed at young Africans of less than 25 years. Coordinated by the "Global Dialogues" trust, it has the objective to associate young Africans with the production of HIV/Aids sensibilisation messages
* The second conference of African First Ladies on AIDS was held inOuagadougou on9 February 2005 .
*Côte d'Ivoire :IRIN , the United Nations news service in an article of11 February 2005 entitled "Côte d'Ivoire: HIV/AIDS time-bomb ticking away in rebel north," declares that the enduring conflict in Côte d'Ivoire is likely to cause a true explosion of the AIDS epidemic, in particular because of the non-access to medical care of the population living in the north, the area controlled by theForces nouvelles . [http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45520&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=COTE_D_IVOIRE]
* The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) on4 March 2005 published a report entitled "AIDS in Africa: Three scenarios to 2025" in which it indicates that nearly 90 million Africans are threatened by the AIDS virus between today and 2025 if nothing is done to stop the plague and to more generously finance the distribution of medicine.
*Mali :Malick Sène , executive secretary of the "Haut conseil de lutte contre le sida" (High Council of Fight Against AIDS, HCLCS), announced on17 March 2005 during the official launch ceremony of the Multisector anti-AIDS Project (MAP) that theWorld Bank will finance this project up to 25,5 million dollars. Although Mali has a "non alarming" prevalence rate of 1,7%, Malick Sène revealed that the determining factors in the propagation of AIDS in the country are very alarming: ignorance of AIDS by the young, large mobility of people, a weak cover by medical infrastructure of the territory and cultural practices and traits feminizing the plague.
*Zimbabwe : TheUnited Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) applied on18 March to the international community for financial assistance for Zimbabwe to fight AIDS. This country, that did not receive aid since 2004, has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the area, with 24,6% of the population affected, or 1,8 million people living with the virus.
* InDurban ,South Africa , theWorld Health Organization (WHO) organized from the 11 to13 April a meeting, joining specialists and social workers of 20 African countries, discussing the problems of nutrition of AIDS patients. In Africa, according toLee Jong-Wook , director general of the WHO, "the majority of the 30 million people infected by HIV does not have secure access to the fundamental nutrients that any human being requires to stay in good health".
*Ethiopia : according to a study ofUnited Nations experts, published inAddis Ababa on13 April 2005 , the number of AIDS deaths, which amounted to 900 000 in 2003, could double between today and 2008 "if the current tendency persists".
* TheUnited Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicates in an official statement that "of the 34 million orphans insub-Saharan Africa , more than 11 million are AIDS orphans. It is estimated that towards 2010, up to 20 million children could lose one or both parents because of the disease. These children constitute a population at risk that should be protected from malnutrition, diseases and sexual exploitation". The FAO established 34 schools inKenya ,Mozambique ,Namibia andZambia to educate a thousand orphans in agricultural techniques. [http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/102183/index.html]Cholera
* An epidemic of cholera rages in
Bujumbura , the capital ofBurundi . On20 January , anUnited Nations executive announced that 105 people were infected and that 5 deaths had been recorded.
*Senegal : The Minister for health and prevention confirmed on28 February that the town ofTouba (Diourbel area) was affected by cholera. An epidemic is to be feared in this town of two million inhabitants which does not have a water treatment network. The epidemic spread to several areas of the Country. An evaluation by the ministry for health on9 April stated 6059 cases and 81 deaths since28 March . On6 April , Prime MinisterMacky Sall announced the installation of a crisis cell to fight the propagation of cholera in Senegal. A day of national mobilization against cholera took place on the public radio "Radio Senegal" On Wednesday13 April to "launch new behavior in the population which will help them protect themselves".
*Equatorial Guinea : an epidemic of cholera rages since the beginning of February inMalabo and Bata. According to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), on10 March 2005 4400 cases of cholera were listed, involving 30 deaths. Certain medical sources suggest more than one hundred deaths.
*Democratic Republic of the Congo : epidemic of cholera in refugee camps inIturi , mainly in the camp ofKafé , east ofBunia . TheUnited Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) listed 433 cases between26 March and3 April , including 20 deaths.
*Cameroon : epidemics of cholera rage in several areas of the country. In theMoungo division , on12 April fifteen deaths and a hundred cases were counted two weeks after the start of the epidemic. In the province ofBafoussam , 40 cases of cholera were recorded on13 April .
*Guinea-Bissau : an epidemic of cholera rages since11 June . On4 July 1027 cases were listed, involving 12 deaths. The epidemic, that started in the capitalBissau , propagated into several areas.
*Niger : an epidemic of cholera rages in Niger since July. 383 cases, of which 46 mortal, were recorded on18 September .Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease)
*
Mali presidentAmadou Toumani Touré expressed his disappointment with his country's results in eradicating theGuinea Worm Disease . Mali has seen a reduction of 58% of the cases,Togo of 63%,Nigeria of 66% andBurkina Faso of 73%. According to theWorld Health Organization ,Senegal is the first African country to have eradicated this disease.Pneumonic plague
*
Democratic Republic of the Congo : theWorld Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on3 March 2005 that 16 deaths caused by the pneumonic plague (of 57 suspected cases) were recorded in the North-East of the country.Poliomyelitis
* The Ministers for health of
Niger ,Nigeria ,Egypt ,Burkina Faso ,Côte d'Ivoire , theCentral African Republic ,Sudan andChad met on13 January 2005 inGeneva in the headquarters of theWorld Health Organization . They decided to organize a series of vaccination campaigns against poliomyelitis and to reinforce epidemiologic monitoring. In 2004, the number of African children infected by poliomyelitis doubled to 1.037.
* InSudan , a vaccination campaign against poliomyelitis started in Upper Nile andBahr al Ghazal (Sudan). A million children under five will be vaccinated soon.
*Nigeria andBenin :Olusegun Obasanjo , president of Nigeria andMathieu Kérékou , president of Benin, met in February 2005 on the border between the two countries to launch the last stage of their poliomyelitis eradication plan.Tandja Mamadou , president ofNiger , could not be present.
* Launch of the second "Days of synchronized vaccination against poliomyelitis" for approximately 80 million children from 0 to 5 years in the countries of Central and West Africa on8 April 2005 . InMali 3,6 million children are involved, inCameroon 4 million children, 2 million inGuinea , 2 million inBenin .Marburg hemorrhagic fever
*
Angola : an epidemic of the Marbourg fever raged in Angola. 280 deaths was listed on2 May 2005 , 7 of the 18 provinces are affected. It principally affects the province ofUige , on the border with theDemocratic Republic of the Congo . The epidemic broke out in October 2004 but worsened since early March 2005. There is no vaccine nor medical treatment against this extremely contagious disease. Victims show a high fever followed by internal and external bleedings. The virus is transmitted through bodily fluids of a patient. It initially affected children under five years. The medical personnel is now affected.
* TheDemocratic Republic of the Congo was put on "general alert" on30 March 2005 with the installation of a "quarantine line" in the province ofBas-Congo , bordering onAngola .
* TheWorld Health Organization estimated on8 April that the border countries ofAngola (Namibia ,Republic of the Congo ,Democratic Republic of the Congo andZambia ) should be "vigilant".
*Angola : on19 September , theWorld Health Organization (WHO) announced that the epidemic could be declared finished in three weeks. No new case had been recorded for 21 days. The epidemic affected 374 people and killed 329, according to medical authorities and the WHO.Ebola
*
Republic of the Congo : at least 9 people died between 4 and14 May of a disease, of which the symptoms point toEbola hemorrhagic fever .Yellow Fever
*
Mali : an epidemic ofYellow Fever broke out in the area ofKayes , where 35 suspect cases, of which 14 with mortal result, were identified between 7 and27 October .ickle-cell disease
* The World General Assembly against
Sickle-cell disease took place from 14 to17 June 2005 inBrazzaville (Republic of the Congo ). Sickle-cell disease is a genetic blood disease, primarily touching Africa.
*Republic of the Congo : the government announced the establishment within the "Centre hospitalier universitaire" (CHU) inBrazzaville of a research and action center for sickle-cell disease.Meningitis
*
Sudan : theUnited Nations announced that 27 cases of meningitis, involving two deaths, were referenced inDarfur . The UN asked theWorld Health Organization to provide 160 000vaccine doses.
*Ethiopia : an epidemic rages since November 2004.Tiruwork Tafesse , Ethiopian health minister, announced on13 April that 433 cases were listed, causing 40 deaths. A vaccination campaign is being carried out.Tuberculosis
* The African health ministers, meeting in
Maputo (Mozambique ) during the 55th session of the Regional Commission on Africa of theWorld Health Organization (WHO), decided to make the fight on tuberculosis an urgency, since this disease is responsible for the death of 540 000 Africans each year.Typhoid fever
*
South Africa : an epidemic of typhoid fever broke out in September in the province ofMpumalanga . 526 cases were referenced, of which 4 deaths, according to a report published Monday19 September .Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the principal AIDS activist organization, considers this assessment to be underestimated and reports 49 deaths.Vaccination
* Annual meeting of the directors of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), West Africa block, of the
World Health Organization (WHO) from 24 to28 January 2005 inOuagadougou (Burkina Faso ).Infant and maternal mortality
*
Family planning : a conference on the repositioning of family planning in West Africa was held inAccra (Ghana ) from 15 to18 February 2005 . West Africa is the area with the highest infant and maternal mortality rates on the African continent. More than 8.000 women die every year while giving birth.
*Madagascar : according to a demographic study, reported by news serviceXinhua , approximately 100 000 children under the age of five die each year ofmalaria ,diarrhea andrespiratory infection s, exacerbated bymalnutrition .
* On the occasion of theWorld Health Day on7 April 2005 (this year's theme was "Make every mother and child count"), Dr.Luis Gomes Sambo , director ofWHO Africa, recalling that in Africa "every 60 minutes 130 new-born babies die from causes that are largely preventable", invited the African governments to reinforce health systems with qualified personnel.Other health aspects
*
Morocco : installation of basic medical insurance for active and retired employees of the public and private sector and their beneficiaries, affecting approximately 5 million people (17% of the population).Children's rights
*
Kofi Annan ,United Nations Secretary General , presented on16 February 2005 at the UNSecurity Council an extended action plan for systematic monitoring and signaling of cruelty against children (recruitment of child soldiers, abduction, mutilation, murder, rape or other sexual ill-treatment of children, attacks on schools or hospitals) in conflict areas. Although the report notes improvements in several countries (Angola ,Ethiopia ,Erythrea ,Liberia ,Sierra Leone ), it includes a list of countries where the situation is alarming, in particularBurundi ,Côte d'Ivoire ,Democratic Republic of the Congo ,Somalia ,Sudan andUganda .
* Birth registration: theUnited Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and theUnited Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in association with thenon-governmental organization Plan international , launched on28 February 2005 (in the margins of the Panafrican Festival of cinema and television ofOuagadougou (Burkina Faso )) a campaign to promote birth registration in West and Central Africa. The organizations specify: "Insub-Saharan Africa , seven new-born babies out of ten aren't recorded at the registry office (...) Without certificate of birth, the children have more problems accessing basic social services (health, education, etc). In addition, they are without legal protection and vulnerable to any form of exploitation".
*UNICEF ’s "Prize for the Promotion of Children’s Rights" was handed out during the 19th edition of thePanafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou on4 March 2005 to theSenegal ese directorBen Diogaye Bèye for his film "Un amour d'enfant" ("A child's love"). The "Prize for Children’s Rights" was presented toNtshavheni Wa Muruli (South Africa ) for "The Wooden Camera".
*Republic of the Congo : The ministry for social affairs organized on25 March a deliberation meeting on care for the street children, with participation ofnon-governmental organizations ,UNICEF ,UNESCO and theInternational Rescue Committee (IRC). More than one thousand children live in the streets of the capitalBrazzaville .
*Morocco : According to a study of the Ministry of Labour and theInternational Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour , made public in April, approximately 600 000 Morrocan children work, that is 11% of Moroccan children.
*Benin : from 2 to9 May , theNGO Plan Bénin organized inCotonou a workshop on comic strips for children and teenagers of Benin,Burkina Faso ,Guinea-Bissau ,Mali andTogo . These children can use comic strips to express themselves about their rights and about their vision of development.
* A regional consultation on violence against children in Central and Western Africa took place inBamako (Mali ) on 24 and25 May 2005 . It was organized by theUnited Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and theMali an government, and brought together delegates of governments andNGO 's of 24 countries and international organizations. They issued several recommendations towards African governments on the protection of children against violence (adoption and application of laws prohibiting corporal punishment and all forms of violence within the family, increased sensitizing of parents to assume responsibility for the nonviolent education of their children, punishment of sexual abuse of children by teachers, creation of council centers and training of counselors for child victims of violence, increase in the number of juvenile courts) and on the participation of children in all the stages of the development process of projects, programs and policies in their favour, as well as on the support of initiatives, developed by children to fight violence. They request the increase of budgets for child protection programmes and the generalization of child benefit systems to fight poverty.Demography
* A scientific report by the Catholic University of Leuven (UCL) was submitted on
8 March 2005 to Panapress news agency inBrussels ::* Thedemographic growth in Africa was 2,4% in 2001. The fertility rate was 5,5 children per woman (1,8 to 3,5 in the rest of the world). In West Africa, it reaches 7 children per woman.:* Life expectancy is 47 years on average (63 years in the rest of the world). AIDS is responsible for the fall of life expectancy in many African countries (inBotswana , life expectancy decreased from 65 years in 1990 to 35 years currently, the level of 1940):*Sub-Saharan Africa represents 10% of the world population.:* 34 of the 39 poorest countries in the world are African.:* The rate of illiteracy is 38%.ports
*
Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (CSSA): The 20th session of the general assembly of the "Supreme Council for Sport in Africa" (CSSA) inAlgiers from 19 to21 April adopted a new charter for the promotion of African sports, constituting a guide of reference for theAfrican Union , in accordance with the "Maputo resolution " which advocates "the construction of a common policy aiming at putting physical education and sports at the service of sustainable development in Africa in general, and of the youth in particular". Different resolutions were adopted, inviting African States to start action programmes against doping and adhere to thedeclaration of Copenhagen ; to set up "conditions favourable to an effective participation of women in sports activities, by introducing material conditions favorable to the development of female sports".Athletics
* The first
Panafrican Meeting was held onApril 6 inBamako ,Mali .
*Republic of Congo : The International Athletics Meet inBrazzaville , (French language : "Meeting international d’athlétisme de Brazzaville"), organised by the City Council of Brazzaville, was held onMay 8 with the assistance of theAfrican Confederation of Athletics . The event gathered athletes from about 30 African,Europe an andAsia n countries.Basketball * The 23rd African Basketball Championship was held in
Algiers ,Algeria . TheAngolan team finally beat theSenegalese team in the finals onAugust 24 to become the champions.
* The 11th African Female Champion Clubs Basketball Cup (French language : "Coupe d'Afrique des clubs champions féminins de basket") took place from2 October to9 October inBamako ,Mali , and was won byDjoliba AC of Mali.
* The 20th African Male Champion Clubs Basketball Cup (French language : "Coupe d'Afrique des clubs champions masculins de basket") took place from26 November to3 December inAbidjan .
* The 19th FIBA Africa Championship for Women basketball was won by Nigeria, beating the Senegal team in the final on28 December .Cycling * The 3rd International Cyclists Tour of
Cameroon (French language : "Grand tour cycliste international du Cameroun") was held from26 February to12 March , with cyclists from twenty countries taking part.
*Burkina Faso : The First "Loop of Cotton" (French language : "Boucle du coton") took place from16 May to22 May with a 706.2 km course. 13 teams from Burkina Faso,Benin ,Mali ,Guinea ,Niger andTogo competed. This race was organized as a homage to the African cotton producers.
* The 8th edition of the "Tour du Senegal " took place from22 September to2 October 2005 . The course, 1234 kilometers long, consists of a prologue, 8 stages and a "critérium" and touches the towns ofRufisque ,Kaolack ,Thiadiaye ,Diourbel ,Somone ,Thiès , Saint-Louis,Louga andDakar . 17 teams of 6 cyclists from different African countries (Senegal ,Angola ,Morocco ,Cameroon ), from Europe (France ,the Netherlands ,Italy ) and from Asia took part in it.
*Burkina Faso : The 19th "Tour du Faso " which was held between26 October and6 November 2005 was won by theburkinabé Jérémie Ouedraogo .Fencing *
Abderrahmane Lamari ofAlgeria was re-elected as the president of theAfrican Fencing Confederation during the meeting of September2005 inDakar .Soccer * The junior
African Cup of Nations inCotonou (Benin ). 8 countries took part in it:Nigeria ,Côte d'Ivoire ,Mali ,Benin (Group A),Egypt ,Angola ,Morocco ,Lesotho (group B). On26 January , Nigeria beat Morocco and Egypt beat Benin in the semi finals. The finals took place on29 January . It was marked by the victory of Nigeria over Egypt; Benin won the 3th place, beating Morocco. The next juniorAfrican Cup of Nations will take place in theRepublic of the Congo .
*Samuel Eto'o ,Cameronian attacker of FC Barcelona was elected Best African Football Player of 2004 by the Moroccan magazineAl-Mountakhab , following a poll among 21 African and European media.
* The tournament of the four member countries of theUnion of West African Football Federations (UFOA) took place from 21 to27 February 2005 inBamako . This competition, baptized "tournament of friendship" was won byMali .
* TheConfederation of African Football (CAF) gave the award of Best African Football Player of 2004 toNaima Laouadi (Algeria ).
* For the second year on row, the "Ballon d'Or 2004" ("Golden Ball", the "African Footballer of the Year" award) was given toCameronian Samuel Eto'o by theConfederation of African Football (CAF) on15 February 2005 .
* The 6th edition of the "Coupe d’Afrique des Nations des moins de 17 ans" ("African Cup of Nations for under 17 year olds") was held inGambia from 6 to21 May 2005 . It was won by Gambia which beatGhana in the finals on22 May 2005 .Handball * 19th World Handball Championship for men is held from
January 26 toFebruary 6 inTunisia . PresidentZine El Abidine Ben Ali launches the tournament atRadès .
=Rugby=* The "Super 16 Trophy", an international rugby tournament, took place from
31 May to5 June inOuagadougou , with teams fromBenin ,Burkina Faso ,Mali ,Niger andTogo .* From 18 to
25 April , theDemocratic Republic of the Congo organized the first Central African championship of associated wrestling styles, with participants fromCameroon , theCentral African Republic , theRepublic of the Congo , theDemocratic Republic of the Congo andChad .
* The 6thGreco-Roman wrestling championship of Africa was held on30 April and1 May inOuagadougou (Burkina Faso )Table tennis * In
Brazzaville on26 January ,Egypt won the finals of the African championship of male and female champion clubs.By country
*
Kenya :Ochilo Ayacko , minister for sports, announces that Kenya wishes to present its candidature for the organization of theOlympic Games of 2016.
*Senegal : the athleteNe Ndoye (Africanlong jump champion) on19 January 2005 received the "Lion d'Or" ("Golden Lion") which rewards the best Senegalese sportsman of the year.Culture
Literature
*
Rwanda : The first novel on the Tutsi genocide written by a Rwandan, "Le Feu sous la soutane" ("The Fire Under The Cassock",Editions L'Esprit Frappeur ), byBenjamin Sehene , was published on1 June 2005 .
*Mali : the fifth edition of the "Etonnants Voyageurs" festival ("Astonishing travellers"), led byMoussa Konaté andMichel Le Bris took place from 7 to13 February 2005 in Mali, in the capitalBamako and several other cities of the country (Gao ,Kidal ,Koulikoro ,Ségou ,Timbuktu ,Kayes , Kita,Sikasso ,Mopti ). Part of the manifestation are literary workshops, literary cafés and meetings on various topics: "Culture and commerce: defending cultural diversity" or "Literature and development: new perspectives". Several writers are invited:Kangni Alem (Togo ),Florent Koua-Zotti (Benin ),Abdourahman Waberi (Djibouti ),Abdelkader Djemai (Algeria ),Alpha Mandé Diarra (Mali ) andAbdoulaye Ascofaré (Mali ). In parallel, the second edition of "Etonnants Scénarios" ("Astonishing scenarios") was held inBamako , welcoming professionals of the African cinema.
*Senegal : The Goethe Institute of Senegal organized on 9 and10 April a colloquium on the oeuvre of the Senegalese writerAminata Sow Fall , entitled "Une femme de lettres africaine de dimension internationale" ("An African female writer of international importance").
*Angola :John Bella , Angolan writer, member of the board of directors of the "Brigade Jeune de Littérature Angolaise" ("Young Brigade of Angolan Literature", BJLA) proposed on11 April to create an award foryouth literature , to incite writers to write for children, developing in this fashion the taste for reading in children.
* The "Prix Ahmadou Kourouma 2005" (named after theCôte d'Ivoire writer, deceased in 2003) was awarded on28 April toTanella Boni of Côte d'Ivoire for his novel "Matins de couvre-feu" ("Curfew Mornings", Editions du Serpent à plumes).
* The "Prix Sony Labou Tansi 2005" for French-speaking theatre, awarded at the "Festival des francophonies" in Limousin, was granted toMali writerMoussa Konaté .
*Alain Mabanckou , Congolese writer, received the "Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie", awarded by the "Agence de la francophonie ", for his novel "Verre cassé" ("Broken Glass").Film
*
Tunisia : The fourth edition of the "Festival international du film de l'environnement " ("International Festival of Environmental Film") inKairouan (Tunisia) ended Saturday12 February with the award ceremony. "Tortues de mer, le dernier cri d'alarme" ("Sea turtle, the last cry for help") by the Lebanese directorMohamed Sarfi received theTapis d'or .
*Mali : 3rd edition of the Cinematographic Meetings ofBamako on 24 and25 February 2005 , organized by the "Union des créateurs et entrepreneurs du cinéma et de l'audiovisuel de l'Afrique de l'Ouest " ("Union of Western African film and audiovisual creators and producers", UCECAO).Souleymane Cissé ,Mali an director and president of the UCECAO declared that "these meetings must be a place for exchanging and sharing experiences on the problems of African cinema, and an occasion for the actors to think about an economically viable West African cinema". This edition was placed under a sign of solidarity with the war victim children of Darfour.
*Burkina Faso : the 19th edition of thePanafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou took place from26 February to5 March 2005 in the Burkina Faso capital. The "Étalon d'or de Yennenga" (Grand prix of feature film) was won by "Drum" byZola Maseko (South Africa ).
* The 19th edition of theFribourg International Film Festival (Fribourg ,Switzerland ) closed on13 March 2005 . The "Regard d'Or" went to the French-Burkinabé film "la Nuit de la vérité" ("The Night Of The Truth") byFanta Régina Nacro . The Special Jury Award was handed to the Belgo-Moroccan film "l'Enfant endormi" ("The Sleaping Child") byYasmine Kassari .
* The 9th edition of the "Ecrans noirs " festival ("Black Screens") was held inYaounde andDouala inCameroon from 4 to12 June 2005 .Music
* Senegal: Death on
13 February 2005 ofNdiaga Mbaye (song writer, performer and well knowngriot ) inDakar .
* Music: The 47thGrammy Awards were held inLos Angeles (United States ) on13 February 2005 .Senegal ese singerYoussou N'Dour received a Grammy for his album "Égypte" in the category Best Contemporary World Music Album. TheSouth Africa n bandLadysmith Black Mambazo was awarded for its album "Raise Your Spirit Higher " in the category Best Traditional World Music Album.
* At theVictoires de la musique 2005 (Paris,5 March 2005 ),Mali an singersAmadou & Mariam were rewarded in the category "Reggae/Ragga/World Album of the Year" for their album "Dimanche à Bamako" ("Sunday in Bamako").
*Burkina Faso :Bil Aka Kora received theKundé d’or on29 April . It was the second time this Burkinabé artist won this prestigious Burkinabé musical award.Photography
*
Cameroon : 1st biennial of Photography and Visual Arts, inDouala , Cameroon from 14 to23 January 2005 . Fourteen photographers and seventeen painters (Africa n, Afro-Caribbean andEurope an) expose their works on the topic "Traces and Memory".
*Mali : the 6thAfrican Photography Encounters were held from the 10 to17 November 2005 inBamako . 37 photographers of 17 African countries expose their photographs around the topic "Another world".Festivals and other cultural aspects
*
Mali : 5th edition of the "Festival of the desert" inEssakane from 7 to9 January 2005 .
*Mali : 5th edition of the "Tamadacht" festival from 18 to20 January in theAzawagh valley. Organized by the commune ofAndéramboukane to promote theTuareg culture, this festival brings togetherMali ans andNiger iens.
*Cameroon : The fifth edition of the jazz and blues festival "Jazz sans frontière" ("Jazz without borders") was held inYaounde from 21 to24 February 2005 . Among the performers wereEtienne Mbappé andKayou Jazz and Roots Project .
*Morocco : The second edition of the "Festival national du théâtre des jeunes" ("National Festival for Youth Theatre") was held inRabat from 2 to9 April , with the participation of 300 young people of 120 theatrical societies from all over the country.
*Tunisia : The 4th edition of the "Festival méditerranéen du théâtre d'enfants" ("Mediterranean Festival of children's theatre") was organized inBen Arous from 19 to26 March 2005 with the participation ofAlgeria ,Morocco ,Spain ,France ,Italy ,Turkey ,Egypt , and theNetherlands (honorary visitor).
* Mali: the 9th edition of the "Festival des Masques et Marionnettes de Markala " ("Markala Masks and Marionnettes Festival",FESMAMA ) was held from 4 to6 March 2005 inMarkala , rural village in the Ségou region with companies from various areas ofMali ,France andWest Africa .
*Mauritania : The second "Festival des musiques nomades" ("Festival ofNomad ic Music") ofNouakchott was held in the Mauritanian capital from 4 to8 April 2005 with among othersAïcha Mint Chighaly (Mauritania ) and ofBaaba Maal (Senegal ).
*Democratic Republic of the Congo : the fifth edition of thePanafrican Music Festival (Fespam) was held from 9 to16 July inBrazzaville ,Pointe-Noire andKinshasa .
*Mali :Ali Farka Touré , musician and mayor of the town ofNiafunké , in April 2005 created a foundation bearing his name. This foundation intends to organize a biannual jazz festival in Niafunké and to create a training center for young artists playing local traditional instruments.
*Mali : The culturalcooperative "Jamana" (created byAlpha Oumar Konaré ) on13 April launched an Internet site with information in Bamanankan, in partnership withUNESCO .
*Mali : The "Festival dansa/diawoura " took place inBafoulabé from 8 to10 April 2005 .
* Mali: the second edition of the "West African Hunters Festival" took place from 27 to29 May in several cities ofMali (Bamako ,Ségou ,Sikasso andYanfolila ) and brought together hunters from Mali,Burkina Faso ,Senegal ,Gambia ,Guinea , andNiger .
*Senegal : 13th "International Jazz Festival" of Saint-Louis from 4 to7 May 2005 , with among othersFlorin Niculescu ,Richard Bona ,Philip Catherine andAlexander Monty .
*Cameroon : 4th edition of the "Festival international de voix de femmes" ("International Festival for women voices,MASSAO 2005) inDouala from29 April to7 May .Werewere Liking , Cameronian multidisciplinary artist (music, theatre, literature, painting, dance) was rewarded with the "Massao d'honneur" ("Honorary Massao").
*Mali : A conference on "multilingualism for cultural diversity and for the participation of all in cyberspace" took place inBamako (Mali) on 6 and7 May in the presence ofKoïchiro Matsuura , director general ofUNESCO .
*Senegal : 3rd edition of the "International Theatre Festival for peace" (Fest'art ) inDakar in May 2005.
*Morocco : "Festival of the Sacred Musics of the World" from 3 to11 June inFès .
*Morocco : "Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival" from the 23 to26 June .
* Congo: The fifth edition of the "Panafrican Music Festival" (Fespam) was held from 9 to16 July inBrazzaville .
*Mali : The third edition of the "Dense Bamako Danse " festival opened on11 November 2005 in the Malian capital. This festival of contemporary dance, organized by association "Donko Seko", brought together companies fromSouth Africa ,Burkina Faso ,Cameroon ,Côte d'Ivoire ,Mali ,Mozambique ,Senegal andChad .ciences
*
Ethopia : A team ofarchaeologists led bySileshi Semaw announced in "Nature" journal that they had discovered the bones of a hominid, "Ardipithecus ramidus", dating back 4.5 million years at anexcavation site atGona in theAfar Region .
*Madagascar : Americanzoologist s led bygeneticist Edward Louis announced onJanuary 14 the discovery of two newspecies ofLemuridae .Economy
*
Economic growth :Omar Kabbaj , president of theAfrican Development Bank (AfDB), announced that the economic growth 2004 for the African continent has been exceptional, with agrowth rate of 4,5% (4,1% in 2003). Central Africa knew a growth rate of 8,7%, Eastern Africa 6,5%, North Africa 4,7% and Western Africa 4%. The AfDB president however regretted that "the continent continually has to deal with major challenges, like conflicts, the strong incidence of poverty and an inexorable progression of the AIDS pandemia".
*Aeronautics : TheEconomic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Cemac) and theairline Royal Air Maroc on24 February 2005 signed a draft agreement for the establishment of the regional airlineAir Cémac .
*Western Africa : TheBCEAO ("Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest", "Central Bank of the States of Western Africa") affirmed on22 February to have recovered 99,21% of thefranc CFA notes of the 1992 range, at the end of a demonetisation operation which was completed on18 February .
*Aeronautics /Mali : The first stone of the "Institut africain des métiers de l'aérien" ("African Institute of Aeronautic Skills") was cast on17 March 2005 at theBamako-Sénou airport site. This new school was initiated by the airlineAir France .Agriculture
* The countries of the
G8 and the NEPAD ("New Partnership for Africa's Development ") on28 January inDar Es Salaam announced actions for the development of agriculture in Eastern and Central Africa. Focus is on seeds, pesticides, the food trade, and on monitoring, warning and evaluation mechanisms forfood safety .
* On 4 and5 February , on invitation by theSenegal ese presidentAbdoulaye Wade , an international forum on "The global agricultural divide" was held inDakar (Senegal) in the presence of several Heads of State:Amadou Toumani Touré (Mali ),Jacques Chirac (France ),Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso ),Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria ),Maaouiya Ould Taya (Mauritania ),Tandja Mamadou (Niger ). It brought together politicians, scientists, representatives of the civil society and agroalimentary companies around "views on developing agricultural territories". Rural organizations from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America met on an invitation by the "Réseau des organisations paysannes et des producteurs de l'Afrique de l'Ouest" ("Network of Rural Organizations and Producers of Western Africa",ROPPA ) and the "Conseil national de concertation et de coopération des ruraux" ("National Council for Rural Dialogue and Co-operation",CNCR ), to convey their claims: the right tofood sovereignty for each country, the end of dumping practices and of disguised subsidies, and consideration for peasants' interests in negotiations of international treaties like those of theWorld Trade Organization .
* GMO: The West African peasants, organized in the "Réseau des organisations paysannes et des producteurs de l'Afrique de l'Ouest" ("Network of Rural Organizations and Producers of Western Africa",ROPPA ) and the "Réseau des chambres d’agriculture de l’Afrique de l’ouest" ("Network of West African Chambers of Agriculture",RECAO ), meeting inBamako (Mali ) on21 June , opposed againstgenetically modified organism s (GMOs).Cotton
* Meeting in
Bamako on14 January 2005 of representatives of fiveSub-Saharan cotton producing countries (Mali ,Benin ,Burkina Faso ,Senegal andChad ) that insist on the need for developed countries to reduce subsidies to their own farmers. "Just for the cotton season 2004-2005, Central and Western Africa are estimated to have a deficit of more than 220 billion FCFA, or more than 400 million dollars, worsening poverty by destroying development efforts", they declared in a common statement.
* On a meeting inOuagadougou (Burkina Faso ) on12 March 2005 in the margin of the 3th days of theAfrican Cotton Association (ACA), the Ministers for Agriculture ofBenin ,Burkina Faso ,Mali andChad launched an appeal to African governments and the international community for the installation of a rescue fund for the African cotton producers. They also request a time frame for theUnited States and theEuropean Union to reduce and totally abandon subsidies to European and American cotton producers. The competition of American and European subsidized cotton means a "loss of earnings" of 200 billionCFA franc s (more than 300 millioneuro s) for African cotton producers.Debt
* On
17 January , while opening a meeting of 18 African Finance Ministers,Gordon Brown , BritishChancellor of the Exchequer (Minister for Finance), wished the cancellation of the "unpayable" debt of African countries and presented the outline of an action plan against poverty in Africa which received the support of former South-African presidentNelson Mandela .Events in Africa by month
See also
Notes
This text was translated from the original French-language article.
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