President Bush has pledged $500m to help fight the spread of Aids in Africa. 

"The global devastation of HIV-Aids staggers the imagination and shocks the conscience," he said at the White House. 

He also called for other countries to help fight Aids in Africa where the disease is the continent's number one killer. 

The money is aimed at funding programmes to cut mother-to-child transmission by 40% within five years or less in 12 African countries and the Caribbean. 

Orphans crisis

South Africa, one of the initial recipients of the cash, was warned on Wednesday that more than five million children could be orphaned over the next 12 years because of the spread of Aids and HIV. 

The Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC) believes that unless there are major interventions or changes in sexual behaviour, up to 15% of children could lose one or both parents. 

The South African Government says it does not have the funds for treatment

It said this would overwhelm formal as well as informal fostering systems. 

The MRC called for treatment and prevention programmes aimed primarily at mothers, and said anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs should be made available to all patients. 

But the recommendation will not be welcomed by the South African Government, which has refused to provide ARV treatment to all people who are HIV-positive. The authorities say they have neither the funds nor the infrastructure to do this. 

Pilot projects

In April, the constitutional court forced the government to supply the anti-Aids drug Nevirapine to pregnant mothers and rape victims. 

Until then, Thabo Mbeki's government had prohibited the use of the antiretroviral drug beyond pilot projects. 

The MRC says that without a significant intervention, the number of orphaned children would place a very heavy burden on surviving older siblings and grandparents because formal care structures would not be able to cope. 

Aids activists believe that the government's reluctance to use Nevirapine originates from President Mbeki's unorthodox views on the disease. 

President Mbeki has argued that the extent of the Aids pandemic is exaggerated and has questioned the link between Aids and HIV. 

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One of the two rival leaders of Madagascar has urged France to clarify which one it supports. 

Marc Ravalomanana, in an interview with a French daily, asked France to state whether it backed him or his opponent, Didier Ratsiraka. 

It's time for France to take a clear stance

Marc Ravalomanana

For six months, the two men have been locked in a dispute over the outcome of the presidential election, which a court ruled had been won by Mr Ravalomanana. 

France, which has not officially recognised Mr Ravalomanana as president, called on the two sides to form a government of national reconciliation last Saturday. 

'Mercenaries'

Mr Ratsiraka returned to Madagascar last week after spending several days in France to look for support. 

Mr Ravalomanana accused him of using his visit to recruit alleged mercenaries who were intercepted in Tanzania on their way to Madagascar last Tuesday after a tip-off from the French authorities, allegations denied by Mr Ratsiraka. 

He told the Christian daily La Croix that a clarification was needed from France to dispel doubt. 

"It's time for France to take a clear stance," he said. 

"Most French nationals in Madagascar and in France do not understand their government's position towards us," Mr Ravalomanana told the newspaper. 

"I want to work with France, which shares a common history with us," he said. 

It had been hoped that the political situation would improve if Mr Ravalomanana included allies of Didier Ratsiraka in a government of national unity. 

But a reshuffle last Tuesday failed to result in ministerial appointments for any of Mr Ratsiraka's allies. 

Mr Ravalomanana explained why. 

OAU membership

"When I formed the government, Didier Ratsiraka was out of the country. I contacted members of his former regime, but they are afraid of their leader," he said. 

He dismissed the statement made last Friday by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), in which it said that neither of the two rivals were Madagascar's legitimate president, and that new elections should be held. 

"I'm very surprised and saddened by this decision," Mr Ravalomanana said. 

Mr Ratsiraka has accepted an OAU proposal to hold fresh elections, but Mr Ravalomanana has rejected the plan. 

The OAU also decided on Friday to freeze Madagascar's seat until a constitutional and legitimate government is established in the island. 

Mr Ratsiraka has now returned to his stronghold of Tamatave

"I am going to seriously look into the question of Madagascar's OAU future membership," Mr Ravalomanana told La Croix. 

He said that his camp would soon control the two provinces held by Mr Ratsiraka. 

"Within the next few days, we shall once again control the whole territory," he said. 

"The reconquest is slow because we want to stick to our philosophy, which is to do so in a peaceful manner," he said. 

 

By Joseph Winter  BBC News Online

As ever, Zimbabwe's land reform programme is mired in confusion. 

But it does seem likely that Monday's deadline is a major step towards President Robert Mugabe's goal of redistributing farmland from whites to blacks. 

People are making the rules up as they go along

Jenni Williams, CFU

The white-dominated Commercial Farmers' Union says that 2,900 of its members are obliged by the law to stop farming immediately. 

However, a CFU official who wished to remain anonymous told BBC News Online that the true figure was closer to 2,000 as the remaining 900 farmers have only received preliminary notices of the government's intention to acquire their farms. 

And Agriculture Minister Joseph Made has been quoted as saying that only 10% of farmers are affected - around 300. 

Lawyers are busy trying to interpret the legislation but they too all have their interpretations. 

Thick skins

So far, many of the farmers are carrying on with their work as what passes for normal on Zimbabwe's farms. 

They have developed thick skins in the past two years and many will probably wait until the police start taking action before they park their combine harvesters for good. 

White farmers

2,900 must stop farming  500 have given up land  One court case won by the government  95% of white-owned farms listed for acquisition  CFU membership down by 30%  Source: CFU

But as before, President Robert Mugabe's militant supporters may not wait for the authorities before they take matters into their own hands. 

"We're living in a climate where people are making the rules up as they go along," CFU spokeswoman Jenni Williams told BBC News Online. 

On top of the breakdown of law and order in Zimbabwe's farming districts, the confusion stems from the numerous changes made to the Land Acquisition Act and the complex procedures set out before the government can acquire a farm. 

Complex procedures

But whatever the precise number of farms affected, this is a major intensification of the land reform programme. 

Since 2000, the government has taken over around 500 farms - and these were given up to the government by their owners, a farmers' representative told BBC News Online. 

Mugabe based his election campaign on land reform

Monday's deadline comes from the latest change to the law, made last month, which attempted to simplify matters and bypass legal procedures. 

Most farmers who have received official notices that the government intends to acquire their land have appealed to the courts. 

A CFU official said that the government had only won one case - largely because the civil servants were not meeting the series of legal deadlines set out in law. 

And even that case has gone to appeal. 

No haggling

But while the majority of Zimbabwe's white farmers are still able to work, many have already started packing their bags. 

Membership of the CFU has already slumped by 30% - to 3,200 from 4,500 just two years ago. 

Our members may not be happy with what they've got but they have got something

CFU official

"We're anticipating another big drop this year," said the CFU official. 

But amidst the confusion, many people will be surprised to hear that some of those who have given up their land have been paid for it. 

The farmers have said from the beginning that they would be willing to let go of their land if they receive adequate compensation. 

President Robert Mugabe has repeatedly promised to pay for improvements such as buildings and irrigation systems - but not for the soil itself. 

And this money has been forthcoming, according to the CFU. 

"Our members may not be happy with what they've got but they have got something," the official said. 

He said that many did not try to haggle with the government because the value of the Zimbabwe dollar is falling so sharply that they would just lose out even more through any further delay. 

Rebels in southern Sudan say government forces have bombed the town of Malual-Kan, the centre for a number of international aid agencies operating in the area. 

A spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Army, Samson Kwaje, said four people were killed as they walked through a Medecin sans Frontiers compound on their way to church; five others were injured. 

The rebel spokesman said the SPLA has no military presence in Malual-Kan. 

There has been no word from the Sudanese Government on the reported bombing, which comes days after the two sides began talks in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to end the long-running civil war. 

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

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Sunday, 23 June, 2002, 17:05 GMT 18:05 UK 

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By Stephanie Irvine  BBC correspondent in Rabat

Seven alleged al-Qaeda members accused of planning attacks against British and American warships in the Gibraltar Straits are due to appear in front of an examining magistrate in Casablanca. 

The lawyer for six of the accused says they will plead not guilty to all the charges. 

Three Saudi men, their Moroccan wives and another Moroccan man are being charged on nine counts, ranging from attempted murder to forging documents. 

The prosecution claims the Saudis, with the help of the Moroccans, planned to blow up Nato warships in the Straits of Gibraltar, as well as attack buses in Morocco and a mosque in the centre of the city of Marrakech. 

'Abuse' claims

The lawyer for six of the suspects says the Saudis admit having been members of al-Qaeda in the past, but he says they renounced the organisation after the 11 September attacks and came to Morocco to live a quiet life. 

He says they were beaten in custody and forced to sign statements they had not even read. 

The seven will be questioned in a closed court by the examining magistrate, whose findings will form the basis of the prosecution. 

The trial itself will take place in open court some time over the next two weeks. 

Morocco is also reported to be holding several other al-Qaeda suspects, including a man believed to be a senior member of the organisation. 

It is reported that these suspects are being detained without charge and are being interrogated by the CIA, similar to those suspects being held by the United States at its base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 

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Tuesday, 25 June, 2002, 01:03 GMT 02:03 UK 

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Wednesday, 26 June, 2002, 01:26 GMT 02:26 UK 

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Dozens of people have been used as a human shield in Madagascar by former president Didier Ratsiraka's supporters in one of his two remaining strongholds on the island. 

Around 70 people who had been chained to the railings of the governor's office in Antsiranana on Monday were later taken to a military camp by their captors. 

I don't know if they are human shields or hostages. I didn't chain them up, the soldiers did.

Jean-Robert Gara Antsiranana governor

The people used to make up the human shield are reported by Mr Ratsiraka's camp to be Mr Ravalomanana's mercenaries captured in combat, but witnesses said they were itinerant traders from the same ethnic group as Mr Ravalomanana. 

This latest development in the crisis which has pitted the two men against each other since they ran for the presidential election in December, comes 24 hours after Mr Ravalomanana said that his camp would soon control the two provinces held by Mr Ratsiraka. 

'Imminent attack'

"Within the next few days, we shall once again control the whole territory," he told the French daily La Croix on Monday. 

"The reconquest is slow because we want to stick to our philosophy, which is to do so in a peaceful manner," he said. 

Witnesses told the French news agency AFP that Didier Ratsiraka's forces used the human shield to prevent the capture of Antsiranana as Mr Ravalomanana's men marched on the port city. 

Other witnesses are quoted as saying that none of the detainees was in combat dress or uniform, casting doubt on their captors' allegations that they were mercenaries fighting on the other side. 

"I don't know if they are human shields or hostages. I didn't chain them up, the soldiers did," the pro-Ratsiraka governor of Antsiranana province, Jean-Robert Gara, told AFP. 

He added that he feared Mr Ravalomanana's attack on Antsiranana was imminent. 

Troop movements

Forces loyal to Mr Ravalomanana seized the provinces of Mahajanga and Toliara without encountering much resistance recently. 

The capture of the two cities two weeks ago means that Antananarivo has once again access to petrol, one of the commodities in short supply during the blockage of the capital carried out by Mr Ratsiraka's supporters. 

But AFP reports that Antsiranana, which is heavily defended by backers of Mr Ratsiraka, is expected to put up a stiff fight. 

Most motorists in Antananarivo have been affected by the blockades

Antsiranana in the north, and Tamatave, in the east, are both key ports, and the last two provincial capitals still controlled by Mr Ratsiraka. 

Like Antsiranana, the province of Tamatave has been the scene of troop movements recently. 

The presence of regular forces in the province has reportedly begun to unsettle Mr Ratsiraka's militias, the Malagasy newspaper Midi Madagasiraka reported on Tuesday. 

More barricades

One of these militias, the Zatovo, has erected a barricade at the entrance of Tamatave and close to the city's airport, the paper added. 

In another development, a dozen European mercenaries have reportedly been training Zatovo militias since Sunday, military sources are quoted as saying by another newspaper, Madagascar Tribune. 

The paper says that military equipment arrived in Tamatave at the weekend. 

Petrol back

Meanwhile, petrol pumps have begun working again in Antananarivo, the capital, for the first time in nearly four months. 

The 12,000 tons of fuel may be described as a modest quantity by sources from the petrol industry, but the BBC's Jonny Donovan in Antananarivo says that it looks set to return the capital to a state of relative normality for the time being. 

He says that since Monday night queues of idling cars have stretched for hundreds of metres out of the dozens of newly reopened petrol stations. 

And the streets, which for so long have been virtually free of cars, have once again begun to clog up with the familiar traffic jams.

 

Joan Baxter  Bamako, Mali

The city of Gao in northeastern Mali was once the wealthy capital of the great Songhay Empire of West Africa. 

Today it has fallen on hard times and become the impoverished capital of human trafficking from West Africa to Europe. 

It's because I don't have money I am willing to take the risk. Nobody wants to die in the desert.

Nigerian migrant

Languishing on the banks of the Niger River, 1,200 kilometres north of the capital, Bamako, and surrounded by sand dunes, Gao is the main starting point for illegal migrants from all over Africa desperate to get to Europe and willing to risk crossing the Sahara Desert to do so. 

From Gao, young Africans, mostly from Nigeria and Ghana, set off across the desert in battered pick-up trucks or lorries bound for Europe. Some even undertake the hazardous journey on foot. 

The route takes the migrants across the Malian border into Algeria, then north across the Sahara until they reach Morocco. From there they must get to Spain, their entry point into Europe. 

'Oldest profession' 

Chief of Police in Gao's police chief, Abdoullaye Danfaga, estimates that thousands of illegal migrants set out from Gao each year. He says it is impossible to know exactly how many leave, let alone how many perish in the desert. 

Gao's notorious "Ghetto" brothel

He says the traffic is organised from Spain and "the network is vast, like a Mafia". 

Mr Danfaga says that when the traffickers need more people to move, they call from Spain to their agent in Nigeria and order, say, 20 girls. 

When those girls reach Gao, the traffickers force them into prostitution to pay for their false passports and to continue their journey. 

The female migrants are put to work in a brothel known as "The Ghetto". Most of them are just teenagers. 

Traffickers 

The police chief sadly admits that human trafficking is by far Gao's biggest industry and deplores the dangers facing young people who attempt to cross the desert this way. 

Austin, a Nigerian who Danfaga alleges is the leader of the trafficking operation in Gao, says the number of migrants who set off from here each year is "uncountable, it's like sand, so many people moving". 

Is this shop a front for trafficking ?

With his vested interest in the trafficking, Austin downplays the dangers of the desert crossing. he says, "People die, yes, but people also die in air crashes." He defends the illegal immigration to Europe by saying that white people refuse to give Africans visas. 

But the local authorities in Gao suggest that the traffickers themselves take advantage of the desperate young migrants trying to get to Europe to earn money to support their own families back home. 

Death in the sand

The gendarme commander in the region, Seydou Doumbia, says the migrants are harassed and threatened by the traffickers at every stage of their journey. 

Once they are in the desert, they are at the mercy of ruthless drivers who threaten to abandon them if they don't hand over all their possession. 

The gendarmes say if vehicles break down, the passengers usually die of thirst in the desert and their remains may be lost forever in the desert sands. 

Last year, they rescued 17 young Nigerians from a stranded vehicle but many of their fellow travellers had died of hunger and thirst. 

Fake passports seized by gendarmes

The gendarmes say the survivors lived only by eating their dead companions. 

The gendarmes allege that there is complicity in this lucrative human trade at all levels of government. 

The traffickers work with officials to procure Malian or Guinean passports for illegal migrants from all over Africa. The papers allow them to cross into Algeria without visas. 

The police are able to intercept some of the migrants and seize their false passports. But most of illegal migrants manage to head off undetected into the desert. 

One young Nigerian migrant, who wants to remain anonymous, says all the clandestine migrants are driven by desperate poverty and their dreams of work and money in Europe . 

Asked if he thinks it's worth risking his life to cross the desert, he replies, "It's because I don't have money I am willing to take the risk. Nobody wants to die in the desert. So when you go, you better give yourself over to God, make yourself close to God and if you pray, you will reach your destination."