May 2000 Military News

U-N WESTERN SAHARA Voice of America 31 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council today (Wednesday) extended for two months its mission to Western Sahara but the decision was not unanimous.
Military Communiqué Issued by the Armed Forces General Command of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia May 31, 2000 -- The Ethiopian defense forces, after defusing in as short a time as possible the swift actions taken by the enemy to consolidate itself and to broaden its horizon of invasion, have taken various activities to build a capacity to use force for accomplishing the mission of restoring our sovereignty with effectiveness.
Statement of the Council of Ministers of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia May 31, 2000 - The ruling dictatorial EPLF regime disrupted the budding relations between the two peoples, by its invasion and occupation of Ethiopian territories, using border claims as a pretext.
Prime Minister Meles' Briefing to the Diplomatic Community FDRE Office of Government Spokesperson (31 May 2000) As of today, we have verified that all our territories have been cleared from the invading army. That means our objective of reversing the aggression, by peaceful means if possible or by force if necessary, has been fulfilled.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA Voice of America 31 May 2000 -- Ethiopia's prime minister says his country's border war with Eritrea is over. Ethiopia says it will stay in some parts of Eritrea until there is a formal cease-fire.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 31 May 2000 -- Ethiopia says its troops have left western Eritrea, but the army continues to hold ground on the central front of the war with Eritrea.
ERITREAN AMERICANS AND THE WAR Voice of America 31 May 2000 -- While many foreign residents have fled Eritrea under the threat of war, hundreds of people who have dual Eritrean-American citizenship are refusing to leave.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 31 May 2000 -- A senior Russian official and a Moscow-backed Chechen official have been killed after their car drove over at least one remote-controlled mine in the Chechen capital, Grozny.
AFGHAN / AIR VIOLATION Voice of America 31 May 2000 -- A report from Afghanistan says planes from neighboring Uzbekistan have violated its air space during the past two-days.
CHILD SOLDIERS Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- Once the process of demobilization has begun, the children would need extensive help from governments and agencies of the United Nations to become re-integrated into civilian life.
PHILIPPINES / REBELS Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- After four-days of intense fighting, the Philippine military says it has taken a major base of the country's leading Muslim secessionist group.
SOUTH LEBANON Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- The sudden Israeli withdrawal, which took less than 48 hours and came six weeks ahead of schedule, has created uncertainties.
ISRAEL / LEBANON / ECON Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- Israel's northern frontier is suffering new economic problems, following the closure of the border with Lebanon.
LANKA/LANDMINE Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- A landmine explosion in northern Sri Lanka has killed eight-policemen and wounded 10 others.
NORTHERN IRELAND PROGRESS Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- With the Irish Republican Army compromising on the most sensitive question of disarming, the peace process appears to have, once more, been rescued.
INDONESIA VIOLENCE Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- A violent attack on two Christian villages in Indonesia's eastern Maluku province has killed at least 44 people.
ERITREA/PEACE TALKS Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- Talks to end the two year border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea have opened in Algiers just as the Ethiopian government announced a major pullback of its forces.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- Ethiopia says its troops are leaving western Eritrea after routing the Eritrean army and capturing more than 100-kilometers of territory since the offensive began last week.
U-N-H-C-R / ERITREA Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- The U-N refugee agency reports a sharp increase in the number of Eritrean refugees fleeing into neighboring Sudan.
COLOMBIA REBELS Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- Colombia's largest guerrilla group, known as the FARC, took another bold step this month toward setting itself up as an alternative government.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- Russian forces say they have encircled at least four hundred Chechen rebels in the region's southern mountains.
ANGOLA / RUSSIANS Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- Five Russian pilots freed by Angola's UNITA rebel movement have arrived in Zambia.
SIERRA LEONE / U-N Voice of America 29 May 2000 -- Rebels in Sierra Leone appear to have released the last group of U-N peacekeepers who had been held hostage for nearly one month.
Ethiopian Airforce Bombed Eritrean Military Airbase Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia -- Office of the Government Spokesperson 29 May 2000 -- Four Ethiopian air force jets bombed the military airbase in Asmara. The valiant air force successfully targeted Eritrean plane hangers and various military service-providing facilities at the base.
After Successfully Completing Their Mission, Ethiopian Defense Forces Withdraw from Western Eritrea FDRE Office of Government Spokesperson May 30, 2000 -- After successfully achieving their mission, the heroic Ethiopian defense forces that had been controlling western Eritrea since May 12 have now withdrawn
ETHIOPIA ATTACK Voice of America 29 May 2000 -- Ethiopian warplanes have bombed targets near the Eritrean capital, Asmara, just as peace talks between both countries were about to get started in Algiers.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 29 May 2000 -- Ethiopia and Eritrea continue fighting as they prepare for peace talks in Algeria.
U-N-H-C-R / CONGO Voice of America 29 May 2000 -- The United Nations says it will repatriate nearly two-thousand Congolese refugees from Angola.
LEBANON/SHOOTING Voice of America 28 May 2000 -- Israeli patrols, for the second day, have shot at demonstrators who attempted to cross the border from southern Lebanon, which Israel abandoned last week.
ERITREA/BORDER WAR Voice of America 28 May 2000 -- Eritrea says fighting is continuing along the border with Ethiopia, even though it says its forces have withdrawn from all disputed territory.
Valiant Ethiopian Air Force Bombed Strategic Military Positions Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia -- Office of the Government Spokesperson 28 May 2000 -- The heroic Ethiopian air force today bombed strategic military positions at Hirgigo, which is in the vicinity of Massawa. Although the Eritrean military used its best anit-aircraft capacity, they were unable to stop the Ethiopian air force.
CONGO / PULLOUT Voice of America 28 May 2000 -- Uganda and Rwanda have begun withdrawing troops from the northern Congolese city of Kisangani.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 27 May 2000 -- Representatives of the Philippine government and leaders from the Abu Sayyaf Muslim separatist group opened formal talks Saturday to free 21 mainly foreign hostages held by the rebels for nearly five weeks.
SOUTH LEBANON Voice of America 27 May 2000 -- Israeli border guards fired into the air to disperse stone-throwing youths who were among thousands of people who flocked to southern Lebanon.
SRI LANKA CEASEFIRE Voice of America 27 May 2000 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have offered a unilateral ceasefire to allow civilians trapped in the northern Jaffna peninsula to move to areas of safety.
NORTHERN IRELAND/VOTE Voice of America 27 May 2000 -- Northern Ireland's main Protestant party supported its leader, David Trimble, Saturday and voted to revive a power-sharing regional government with the Catholic Republicans.
AFGHANISTAN / RUSSIA Voice of America 27 May 2000 -- Afghanistan's dominant Taleban movement says neighboring Uzbekistan will pay a heavy price if Russia carries out threats to attack the country.
SOUTH LEBANON SITREP Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- The leader of the Hezbollah resistance movement has held his first rally in southern Lebanon since the withdrawal by Israeli forces earlier this week.
Text: U.S., Angola Issue Joint Communiqué, Reeker Says 26 May 2000 -- U.S. and Angola government officials issued a joint communiqué summarizing bilateral talks they held May 25-26 in Luanda, Angola.
Ethiopian Defense Forces consolidate their positions Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia -- Office of the Government Spokesperson 26 May 2000 -- The heroic Ethiopian defense forces have today consolidated their positions at Forte and Senafe which they captured last night. On the Bure front there has been exchange of heavy artillery fire. Fighting has, however, subsided at the Zalambessa - Egala front.
ZIMBABWE / SOUTHERN AFRICA Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has urged landless Namibians to follow his country's example and forcibly seize land if white farmers are not prepared to share it.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- Abu Sayyaf rebels postponed the talks (Friday) because of troop movements near the site of the planned meeting.
LEBANON / U-N Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- U-N Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen is continuing his mission to strengthen and re-deploy U-N peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon.
ISRAEL / NORTHERN BORDER Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- Israeli troops are adapting to a new reality along the country's northern border following their withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
U-N-H-C-R / SRI LANKA Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- The United Nations refugee agency, U-N-H-C-R, is voicing continued concern about the plight of civilians in Sri Lanka's Jaffna peninsula.
ULSTER / MAGINNIS Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- In Northern Ireland, the largely-Protestant Ulster Unionist Party is facing the difficult choice of whether to accept an Irish Republican Army offer of disarmament.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- Northern Ireland Protestant leader David Trimble has called on his Ulster Unionist Party to agree on plans to restore a power-sharing government to the province.
INDONESIA-AMBON Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- Fresh sectarian violence has erupted in Indonesia's troubled Molucca Islands. At least 33 people are reported to have been killed in clashes between Christians and Muslims.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- Ethiopia has agreed to attend peace talks over its border war with neighboring Eritrea. But Ethiopia says this does not mean fighting will stop.
YUGO WAR CRIMES Voice of America 26 May 2000 -- War crimes prosecutors in The Hague have finished their sixth week of presenting evidence in the case against Bosnian Serb General Radislav Krstic.
SAF / ZIMBABWE Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- South Africa's ruling African National Congress party has denied there are any differences within its ranks over the prospects for free and fair elections in neighboring Zimbabwe.
U-N TIMOR REPORT Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council was told today (Thursday) that progress toward independence in East Timor is slow but steady.
JOURNALISTS SLAIN Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- Two journalists renowned for covering some of the world's most dangerous conflicts have been killed in a rebel ambush in Sierra Leone.
THE AGONY OF SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- Almost ten years of fighting between the government and Foday Sankoh's Revolutionary United Front have ruined Sierra Leone.
CLINTON-SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- President Clinton is promising vigorous U-S support for United Nations peacekeeping efforts in Sierra Leone after the death of two foreign journalists -- including a university acquaintance of Mr. Clinton -- in a rebel ambush Wednesday.
MEPP: After Israel's Withdrawal From Lebanon, 'A New Uncertainty' Issue Focus 25 May 2000 -- Almost everywhere, observers judged that South Lebanon remains "a very dangerous place" and that absent an agreement with Lebanon's powerbroker, Syria, Israel must "deal with the root of the problem" and address the Palestinian track of the peace process. Most analysts believed that Israel's chances of bringing Syria to the negotiating table were still thin.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- There is a new reality in the Middle East now that Israel has withdrawn its soldiers from southern Lebanon after more than two decades of occupation.
SRI LANKA - MORTARS Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels say they are ready for the final assault on Jaffna city and have given the estimated 40-thousand government troops, defending the city, a deadline of Friday to surrender.
SRI LANKA / TAMIL TIGERS Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- Tamil Tiger rebels have set a Friday deadline for Sri Lankan troops in the northern Jaffna peninsula to surrender or face a bloodbath.
ETHIOPIA FAMINE Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- An Ethiopian human rights activist predicts the number of people affected by famine in that country - currently estimated at more than eight million - will double next year.
Eritrea Q&A Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- Eritrean troops redeployed from the disputed areas of Zalambessa Alitena. These are the two fronts where Ethiopia has been shelling. There has been heavy fighting over the last couple of days.
ETHIOPIA - ERITREA Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- Ethiopia says it has recaptured the key border town of Zalambessa, destroying what it says is an Eritrean army on the verge of collapse.
ANGOLA / RUSSIA Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- A Russian diplomat in Zambia say there is still no confirmation that Angola's UNITA rebel group has released five Russians pilots held for the past year.
HEADQUARTERS PRESS CONFERENCE BY YUGOSLAV MISSION 25 May 2000 -- Following its “forced removal as a legitimate member” of the Peace Implementation Council on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yugoslavia would not consider itself bound by any decisions taken by the Council.
YUGOSLAVIA / FOREIGN POLICY Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- Yugoslavia's increasingly isolated government has launched a foreign policy initiative seeking closer ties with Russia and China.
ZIMBABWE SITUATION Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has signed a new law allowing the government to seize white-owned farms without compensation.
SIERRA LEONE U-N TROOPS Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- The President of the United Nations Security Council says he expects quick approval of additional peacekeeping troops for Sierra Leone.
BRITAIN / SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- The British Defense Ministry has confirmed that British forces in Sierra Leone are distributing weapons to Sierra Leone army troops to aid their fight against rebels.
NIGERIA / CLASHES Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- News reports from northern Nigeria say clashes between Muslims and Christians have killed at least 50 people in recent days.
ISRAEL WITHDRAWS FROM SOUTH LEBANON Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- When its ally in the security zone, the Christian militia known as the South Lebanon Army virtually collapsed as the Israeli pullout began in earnest, the operation was hastily speeded up.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is warning Syria and Lebanon that he will consider any firing into Israel from south Lebanon an act of war.
LANKA/ SHELLING Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- Fighting in the east is seen as a bid by Tamil separatists to divert the army's attention from fighting in the north, on the Jafna Peninsula.
INDIA/SRI LANKA Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- International diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis in Sri Lanka are gathering momentum.
U-S - INDONESIA Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- U-S officials say the Pentagon is making small, cautious steps toward renewing relations with Indonesia's military.
COLOMBIA BLOCKADES Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- Transportation to Colombia's coast has been paralyzed by a popular backlash to the government's latest olive branch to leftist guerrillas.
U-N / ANGOLA Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- The United Nations Refugee Agency, U-N-H-C-R, says it is sending an emergency relief mission to Angola later in the week.
U.N. Mission to Assess UNAMSIL's Problems By Judy Aita Washington File 24 May 2000 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan is sending a high-level mission to Sierra Leone to look into the problems that have plagued the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone, known as UNAMSIL, and recommend how to improve the 13,000-troop mission.
Text: Statement by President of Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal 23 May 2000 -- Claude Jorda, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), discussed the tribunal's current and future challenges in an address May 23 in Brussels to the United Nations Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia.
WEST TIMOR / FLOODS Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- U-N agencies say they are working around the clock to rescue and bring humanitarian assistance to thousands of flood victims in West Timor.
LIBERIA / SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- Liberia president Charles Taylor has again called for a cease-fire in Sierra Leone.
SENATE-SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- The Clinton administration and Congress are at odds again over money for United Nations peacekeeping operations.
BRITAIN / SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- Britain says it will begin training Sierra Leone's army as part of an effort to help the government in Freetown restore stability after years of civil war.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak says Israel may complete its withdrawal from south Lebanon within the next few days.
LEBANON / WITHDRAWAL Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- More Lebanese civilians are returning home to villages recently evacuated by Israel and the Israeli- backed South Lebanon Army militia (S-L-A).
U-N COUNCIL-LEBANON Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council has strongly endorsed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's plan for a continuing U-N role in Lebanon following the pullout of Israeli troops.
U-S-ISRAEL-LEBANON Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- The Clinton Administration says it supports Israel's decision to withdraw from Lebanon, and is calling on Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad to prevent Hezbollah guerrillas from harassing Israeli troops as they leave.
U-N / LEBANON Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council held late night consultations (Monday) to discuss the impending withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
LANKA/ PRESIDENT Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga says the country is battling to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity.
Prime Minister Meles' Briefing to the Diplomatic Community Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia -- Office of the Government Spokesperson 23 May 2000 -- First, the war was caused by Eritrean aggression and the surest, quickest way of stopping it is by reversing that aggression. Short of addressing the root causes of the problem, there was no way the war could be stopped by the sanctions.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- Ethiopia began its latest offensive last week avoiding the Tsorona front in favor of the far weaker western front where Ethiopia advanced more than 100 kilometers inside Eritrea.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- United Nations aid agencies are speeding up delivery of food and other emergency relief supplies to tens of thousands of people displaced by the Ethiopian-Eritrean war.
U-N-ERITREA HUNGER Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- The United Nations is expressing growing alarm about humanitarian conditions in Eritrea, where renewed fighting with Ethiopia and a long-running drought are causing widespread hunger.
WAR RESUMES IN THE HORN OF AFRICA Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- New fighting has broken out in the Horn of Africa between Ethiopia and its neighbor, Eritrea. The object of the renewed conflict is a relatively small area of disputed borderland with apparently little strategic value.
RUSSIA / AFGHANISTAN Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of possible air strikes against suspected Chechen rebel bases in Afghanistan.
AFGHANISTAN-RUSSIA Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- Afghanistan's Taleban movement is rejecting Russian allegations that it is providing military help to Chechen guerillas.
Annan Suggests More Peacekeepers Needed for Sierra Leone By Judy Aita Washington File 23 May 2000 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone be increased to 16,500 in order to help stabilize the peace, which has been threatened by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, and has suggested that more troops might be needed in the future to solidify the peace process.
Security Council Endorses Plan for South Lebanon By Judy Aita Washington File 23 May 2000 -- With the rapid pullout of Israeli soldiers from southern Lebanon, the United Nations has moved quickly to fulfill its responsibility in the region to verify the pullout and enhance conditions for peace in the area.
Text: UNSC Endorses Report on Implementing Israeli Withdrawal from Lebanon 23 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council May 23 strongly endorsed the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of U.N. resolutions regarding Israel's withdrawal from all Lebanese territories.
U.S. Envoy Jackson Says Sierra Leone Mission "Is on Target" By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 22 May 2000 -- Before departing for Bamako, Mali, and the concluding leg of his special diplomatic mission to get the Lome peace process back on track in Sierra Leone and secure the release of U.N. peacekeepers held hostage there, the Reverend Jesse Jackson told journalists May 20 that so far "our mission is on target."
Jesse Jackson Concludes West Africa Mission with Stop in Mali By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 22 May 2000 -- The Reverend Jesse Jackson concluded a three-nation diplomatic mission to West Africa May 21 after holding what he said were productive discussions with President Alpha Oumar Konare and other Malian officials about regional solutions to the breakdown of peace in Sierra Leone.
Security Council Increases Size of Sierra Leone Peacekeeping Mission By Judy Aita Washington File 22 May 2000 -- Saying it was concerned about the deteriorating security conditions in Sierra Leone, the Security Council May 19 authorized the expansion of the U.N. Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to 13,000 troops and military observers.
U-N SIERRA LEONE REPORT Voice of America 22 May 2000 -- U-N Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended another increase Monday in the size of the U-N peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone.
BRITAIN / SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 22 May 2000 -- Britain says it has received a request from Sierra Leone for arms and ammunition to contain rebels of the Revolutionary United Front.
PHILIPPINES SITREP Voice of America 22 May 2000 -- In the Philippines, Muslim rebels holding 21 hostages failed to show up for talks with government negotiators on Monday.
U-N - LEBANON Voice of America 22 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council is considering a stepped-up presence for U-N peacekeepers in southern Lebanon following the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
SOUTH LEBANON / HEZBOLLAH Voice of America 22 May 2000 -- The Israeli-supported South Lebanese Army -- the S-L-A -- has abandoned a dozen villages it formerly controlled in southern Lebanon and scores of S-L-A militiamen have surrendered to the Lebanese government.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 22 May 2000 -- In southern Lebanon, at least two people are dead after Israeli forces reportedly fired at Hezbollah guerrillas and civilians who have taken over villages near the Israeli border.
LANKA/ SECURITY Voice of America 22 May 2000 -- More than 150-Tamil rebels have been killed in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna region in the latest round of fighting.
ISRAEL-LEBANON Voice of America 21 May 2000 -- Pro-Iranian Hizbollah guerrillas staged a daring attack (Sunday) on Israeli forces that may signal an escalation in south Lebanon fighting.
LANKA/ BATTLE Voice of America 21 May 2000 -- Tamil politicians are calling for Indian mediation to end fighting in the island country.
ETHIOPIA ERITREA Voice of America 21 May 2000 -- Ethiopia has rejected calls for a cease-fire in its war with neighboring Eritrea, and says its army is continuing to fight.
ETHIOPIA/ERITREA Voice of America 21 May 2000 -- Ethiopia's army says it is 100-kilometers from the Eritrean capital. Ethiopia is continuing its weeklong offensive across the border.
CONGO/MASSACRE Voice of America 21 May 2000 -- Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo are reported to have killed 300-civilians in an eastern province. But a senior U-N official says the death toll is likely much lower.
SRI LANKA STRIFE Voice of America 20 May 2000 -- The Sri Lankan government has vowed to keep its hold on Jaffna and has rejected a call from the Tamil rebels for the surrender of government troops guarding the city.
INDIA - SRI LANKA Voice of America 20 May 2000 -- India says it is watching the situation closely in Sri Lanka where Tamil Tiger rebels are fighting to regain control of their former stronghold in the north of the island nation.
RUSSIA - CHECHNYA ATTACK Voice of America 20 May 2000 -- Chechen fighters have launched new attacks on Russian positions in the destroyed capital city of Grozny amid indications this may be the start of a new rebel offensive.
ZIMBABWE / HUNZVI Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- A Zimbabwe judge has fined the leader of the country's war veterans who invaded and occupied hundreds of white-owned farms. But a jail sentence was suspended.
U-N / SIERRA LEONE TROOPS Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council increased the total troop strength for its peacekeeping mission in the west African nation of Sierra Leone.
SIERRA LEONE / FUTURE Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- Sierra Leone's government says it is looking for what it calls a "middle course" as it decides what to do with rebel leader Foday Sankoh, who was taken into government custody on Wednesday.
SIERRA LEONE / U-N Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- 334 peacekeepers are still being held by the rebels, and the United Nations says as many as 40 of them may be seriously injured.
U-N-H-C-R / SRI LANKA Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- The United Nations refugee agency (U-N-H-C-R) says it is concerned about thousands of Sri Lankan civilians who have been displaced by fighting between government and rebel troops in Jaffna peninsula.
SRI LANKA - WAR Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- The Sri Lankan government says it has delivered new weapons systems to the northern Jaffna region as fierce fighting continues.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- Northern Ireland's Protestant leader, David Trimble, is urging his divided Ulster Unionist Party to accept a disarmament offer from the Irish Republican Army.
ETHIOPIA - ERITREA Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- Ethiopia says it has bombed Eritrea's main military training base and captured another town near the central front of their border war.
U-N / ERITREA Voice of America 19 May 2000 -- The United Nations refugee agency, U-N-H-C-R, says thousands of Eritreans are fleeing to neighboring Sudan to escape renewed fighting with Ethiopia.
SECURITY COUNCIL EXPANDS SIERRA LEONE FORCE TO 13,000, ADOPTING RESOLUTION 1299 (2000) UNANIMOUSLY Press Release SC/6864 - 19 May 2000 -- The Security Council this morning expanded the military component of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to a maximum of 13,000 military personnel, including 260 military observers already deployed, convinced that the deterioration in security conditions on the ground necessitated its rapid reinforcement.
Jesse Jackson and President Obasanjo Discuss Sierra Leone By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 19 May 2000 -- Nigeria and the United States are in close agreement on the need for both countries to remain committed to and engaged in working for a regional solution to continued "warlordism" in Sierra Leone.
Jackson Lauds Nigeria for Positive Role in West African Crisis By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 19 May 2000 -- The Reverend Jesse Jackson, President Clinton and Secretary of State Albright's special envoy for the promotion of democracy in Africa, left Lagos May 19 for Liberia, the next stop on his mission to help end the crisis in Sierra Leone.
Jackson Travels to Liberia for Discussions with Charles Taylor By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 19 May 2000 -- Jesse Jackson, accompanied by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Howard Jeter, the former special envoy to Liberia, arrived in Monrovia May 19 to explore with President Charles Taylor how the crisis in neighboring Sierra Leone might be ended on a lasting basis.
Text: Clinton Authorizes Funds to Support U.N. in Sierra Leone 19 May 2000 -- President Clinton said he had authorized the Department of Defense to provide up to $20 million in defense goods and services to support efforts by the United Nations and other international forces to stabilize the situation in Sierra Leone.
Congressional Lawmakers Examine Horn of Africa Crisis By Charles W. Corey Washington File 19 May 2000 -- Committee Chairman Benjamin Gilman (Republican of New York) set the tone for the hearing on the crisis in the region, by reminding guests and those testifying that the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea is "inextricably linked to the famine."
Fourth report of the Secretary-General on UNAMSIL S/2000/186 19 May 2000 -- The peace process suffered a very serious setback as the result of the recent unprovoked armed attacks on United Nations peacekeepers, the detention of several hundred United Nations personnel, and the destruction of disarmament and demobilization camps by fighters of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The present crisis commenced on 1 May, when RUF ex-combatants approached the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration reception centre at Makeni in a threatening manner and started firing in the air. There have also been incidents at various locations of RUF forcibly preventing its fighters from disarming. At the same time, UNAMSIL was about to deploy its forces to the area of Koidu, which is the centre of diamond mining operations conducted by RUF. This planned deployment may also have contributed to the decision of RUF to attack UNAMSIL in a possible test of its resolve.
FARC LAW 001: LAND REFORM/CONFISCATION OF FOREIGN PROPERTY 19 May 2000 -- The decree, promulgated in early May 2000, is pending implementation in the 130 municipalities currently under FARC's administration. According to FARC spokesman Raul Reyes, it will be enforced following "FARC's assumption of power
Text: Sudan's SPLM Suspends Participation in Peace Talks 19 May 2000 -- State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher on May 18 expressed the United States' deep concern that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) "has decided to suspend its participation in the peace talks, held under the sponsorship of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Sierra Leonean Ambassador Calls Jackson Mission Positive By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 18 May 2000 -- A special diplomatic mission to West Africa led by the Reverend Jesse Jackson is a step in the right direction toward resolving conflict in Sierra Leone, that country's ambassador to the United States, John Leigh, said May 17.
Special Envoy Jackson Begins Mission of Hope to West Africa By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 18 May 2000 -- The special envoy for the president and the secretary of state for the promotion of democracy in Africa, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, began a six-day mission to West Africa May 17, saying he looked forward to discussing with regional leaders ways of bringing peace to war-torn Sierra Leone.
Text: U.N. Envoy Seeks to Avert Possible Famine in Horn of Africa 18 May 2000 -- The crisis in the Horn of Africa has not yet reached the famine stage, but it "can easily" enough unless preventative measures are taken now, Catherine Bertini, the U.N. special envoy on the drought in the Horn of Africa, warned members of the U.S. Congress on May 18.
Text: U.S. Africa Subcommittee Chair Faults Ethiopia, Eritrea in War 18 May 2000 -- It is a "sad reality," but the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea "see domestic advantage in making war" with each other, says Congressman Ed Royce (Republican of California), the chairman of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa.
Text: War Sapping Resources to Fight Famine in Ethiopia 18 May 2000 -- The cycle of famine in Ethiopia will not be broken as long as that country's government continues to spend a third of its budget on its military, warns Congressman Benjamin Gilman (Republican of New York), chairman of the powerful U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations.
Text: Lives of 16 Million at Peril in Horn of Africa 18 May 2000 -- The lives of more than 16 million people are believed to be at risk in the Horn of Africa because of a long drought and civil unrest, according to a top U.S. Agency for International Development disaster assistance official.
FIFTH COMMITTEE CONCLUDES DISCUSSION ON ASPECTS OF PEACEKEEPING FINANCE, INCLUDING REVISION OF SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS, GRATIS PERSONNEL Press Release GA/AB/3373 - 18 May 2000 -- The time had come to commence the revision of the peacekeeping scale of assessments, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was told this morning, as it ended its three-day discussion of various aspects of the financing of peacekeeping missions.
CHILD SOLDIERS / BAN Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- Delegates to an international conference on child soldiers have called for a global ban on the use of children in combat.
PHILIPPINES / BOMBS Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- A series of explosions have killed at least five and wounded scores of others in the strife-torn southern Philippines.
LEBANON / ATTACKS Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- Hezbollah guerillas in southern Lebanon have attacked several Israeli and pro-Israeli militia positions. Israel replied with a number of airplane, helicopter, and artillery attacks.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- Hezbollah guerrillas are stepping up their rocket and artillery attacks against military positions manned by Israeli soldiers and their militia allies in southern Lebanon.
SRI LANKA BLAST Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- The Sri Lankan government says it withheld news of a deadly bomb blast on Wednesday in an effort to prevent more ethnic violence in the country.
U-N-ETHIOPIA-ERITREA EMBARGO Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- United Nations Security Council approved an arms embargo against both Ethiopia and Eritrea in an effort to further pressure those African nations to end their border war.
ETHIOPIA - ERITREA Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- Ethiopia says it has captured the strategic Eritrean town of Barentu, cutting a main Eritrean re- supply route.
ERITREA WAR Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- Ethiopia has made significant advances into Eritrean territory, taking the town of Barentu.
CONGRESS/ETHIOPIA Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- International aid officials have told the U-S Congress that fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea is hampering efforts to help drought victims in the Horn of Africa.
CLINTON-ETHIOPIA-ERITREA Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- President Clinton has publicly appealed to the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea to end the border dispute that has again flared into open warfare.
Report to the UN Security Council on Special UNSC Mission to Africa Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the United Nations New York City, New York, May 17, 2000 -- First, we must use all of our collective influence to keep all the signatories firmly within the Lusaka Agreement. It is the only way forward. If one party is allowed to violate it, others will also violate it. Second, we must strengthen the regional and international consensus for peace based on Lusaka.
Holbrooke Calls Sankoh Capture "Positive" By Judy Aita Washington File 17 May 2000 -- U. S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke May 17 called the capture of Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader Foday Sankoh "a positive development."
SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- Sierra Leone's rebel leader Foday Sankoh, the target of a nine-day nationwide manhunt, has been captured at his own house in the capital, Freetown.
JACKSON/SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- President Clinton's special envoy for Africa, Jesse Jackson, is preparing to visit west Africa in an effort to help resolve the crisis in Sierra Leone.
BRITAIN / SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- The British government says its soldiers in Sierra Leone came under attack early Wednesday from rebels of the Revolutionary United Front.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- As the hostage crisis on the southern Philippine island of Jolo drags through a fourth-week, Philippine authorities are hopeful talks with Islamic rebels can begin Thursday.
CHINA-PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- The Philippine Foreign Secretary has accused the news media of worsening the hostage crisis in the Philippines.
CHIAPAS TENSIONS Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- Armed rebels remain camped out in the mountains of the southern Mexican state, Chiapas, more than six years after indigenous Zapatista rebels staged an armed uprising.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- The Israeli cabinet has approved a 400- million-dollar proposal by Prime Minister Ehud Barak to strengthen security and economic conditions for communities along Israel's northern border with Lebanon.
LANKA/WAR Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- Police in eastern Sri Lanka say 18-people have been killed and several more wounded by a bomb. Meanwhile, heavy fighting is raging in the country's northern Jaffna region.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- Ethiopian forces say they have made new gains in their drive to capture a key town that controls the main supply route for Eritrea's western army.
U-N-CONGO Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- The United Nations today (Wednesday) seemed to move a step closer toward deployment of so-called "phase two" of its peacekeeping mission in Congo- Kinshasa.
AFGHANISTAN / WARNING Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- International aid donors have warned warring factions in Afghanistan that an outbreak of fighting could threaten assistance to the war-ravaged country.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- An Indonesian court has found 24 soldiers and one civilian guilty of massacring 57 people in the restive northern province, Aceh, last July.
Security Council Mission Reports Longing for Peace in DRC By Judy Aita Washington File 17 May 2000 -- U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said May 17 that the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) overwhelming want peace, and he stressed that the international community's support for the peace process there must not be undermined by events in Sierra Leone.
Text: Secretary of State on Reform of UN Peacekeeping Finance System 16 May 2000 -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said in a statement late May 16 that "In a time of expanded peacekeeping missions, with crises raging on several continents, it is vitally important for UN peacekeeping operations to be on a sound financial footing."
Text: Holbrooke Remarks on UN Peacekeeping Reform 16 May 2000 -- Stressing that the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) must be reformed or "the very future of the United Nations is endangered," U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said May 16 that the General Assembly must not only give the department more staff and management capabilities, but the ancient system for financing peacekeeping operations must be changed.
U-S / U-N / PEACEKEEPING COSTS Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- The United States has formally proposed (Tuesday) a major overhaul in the system of financing United Nations peacekeeping operations.
U.S. Drafts Ethiopia-Eritrean Arms Embargo By Judy Aita Washington File 16 May 2000 -- The United States has presented to the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution that would establish an arms embargo against Ethiopia and Eritrea in an attempt to end their border war.
SIERRA LEONE / REFUGEES Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- The United Nations refugee agency, U-N-H-C-R, says it is bracing for the arrival of large numbers of Sierra Leonian refugees in neighboring Guinea-Conakry.
SIERRA LEONE / JACKSON Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- In Sierra Leone, there is mounting public opposition to a planned visit by the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Jackson: People of Sierra Leone and U.S. Want Peace and Justice By Charles W. Corey Washington File 16 May 2000 -- The people of Sierra Leone and the United States are on "the same side of history, fighting for peace and justice" and should turn "to each other and not on each other," says the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the special envoy of President Clinton and the Secretary of State for democracy in Africa who leaves this week on a mission to end the fighting in the west African nation.
Text: Jesse Jackson Clarifies Misunderstanding on Sierra Leone 16 May 2000 -- U.S. Special Envoy for the President and the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa, Jesse Jackson, made plain May 16 that "Foday Sankoh and the RUF alone are responsible for the current crisis in Sierra Leone."
PHILIPPINES / REBELS Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- In a move that could stop the escalating hostilities on the main southern Philippine island of Mindanao, the country's leading Muslim separatist group has started a pullback of forces.
CHIAPAS BISHOP REACT Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- A new bishop has taken over in Mexico's troubled southern state, Chiapas. His predecessor leaves a legacy of deep involvement with the poor as well as complaints that he sided with Zapatista rebels who staged an uprising in 1994.
LANKA ATTACK Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- Heavy fighting has broken out in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna region, after three days of relative calm.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- Ethiopia says it has captured more than a thousand Eritrean prisoners of war in renewed fighting on the two countries' western front.
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- Eritrea has confirmed that Ethiopian troops have moved into Eritrean territory, but officials say Addis Ababa's claims of taking huge amounts of land and cutting off the main supply road are exaggerated.
BURUNDI - PEACE Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- A prominent Mauritanian diplomat, Ambassador Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, says mediators will have a hard time bringing an end to violence in Burundi.
AIDS EPIDEMIC IN AFRICA Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- The American press is applauding a recent announcement by five international pharmaceutical firms that they will drastically cut the price of AIDS drugs to Africa, where the disease has infected 34- million people.
Ethiopia-Eritrea Arms Embargo under Discussion By Judy Aita Washington File 15 May 2000 -- Secretary General Kofi Annan on May 15 urged Eritrea and Ethiopia to "heed the call for peace" as members of the Security Council began meeting to consider imposing an arms embargo on the two countries.
Transcript: Albright-Shihab Joint Press Availability on Indonesia 15 May 2000 -- The United States strongly supports the "Joint Understanding for Humanitarian Pause for Aceh" signed by the Government of Indonesia and the leadership of the Free Aceh Movement in Geneva May 12, according to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
ZIMBABWE / CRISIS Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- Several foreign officials are visiting Zimbabwe, voicing hopes that the country's coming parliamentary elections will be free and fair.
ZIMBABWE / STRATEGY Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- The South African author of a confidential strategy document prepared more than one year ago for Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU P-F party says he recommended the land issue be the driving force in the campaign for Zimbabwe's coming parliamentary elections.
U-N / SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- A top United Nations official says the U-N peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone will stand firm despite recent setbacks.
SIERRA LEONE / U-N Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- The United Nations says 139 peacekeepers have been released from rebel captivity and are now in Liberia.
BRITAIN / SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- The British government says it has no intention of committing its troops to a combat role in Sierra Leone's civil war.
Former Ambassador Cohen Reflects on Jackson Trip to Sierra Leone By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 15 May 2000 -- Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Herman Cohen said the Reverend Jesse Jackson's May 16 trip to Sierra Leone to help restart the peace process and gain the release of U.N. peacekeepers taken hostage is a wise move by the U.S. government.
PRESS BRIEFING BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACEKEEPING 15 May 2000 - The United Nations "had not been unprepared" for recent events in Sierra Leone, and had tried to cope with the situation by using the resources and equipment it had, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet, told correspondents at a Headquarters briefing today.
RWANDA GENOCIDE PLEA Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- A Belgian radio broadcaster has pleaded guilty at the United Nations Rwanda crimes tribunal to charges he incited genocide six years ago.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- Rebels from the Abu Sayyaf - or bearer of the sword - guerrilla group say they want to meet face-to- face with top officials from the Philippines armed forces and national police before negotiations can proceed.
CHIAPAS SECURITY - BISHOP Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- The Mexican bishop who recently took over the most influential religious post in the country's troubled Chiapas state has called on the government to reduce the number of troops in the area.
LANKA/TROOPS Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has briefed representatives of all political parties on the military operation against Tamil rebels.
U-N - ETHIOPIA-ERITREA Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council today (Monday) considered further action aimed at ending the fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- Russian warplanes bombed suspected rebel targets in Chechnya as a federal amnesty offer expired.
AIDS EPIDEMIC IN AFRICA Voice of America 15 May 2000 -- The American press is applauding a recent announcement by five international pharmaceutical firms that they will drastically cut the price of AIDS drugs to Africa, where the disease has infected 34- million people.
SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 14 May 2000 -- Britain's top military commander has reiterated London's policy on Sierra Leone, saying the 500 British troops in the West African country are not there to fight.
SIERRA LEONE/KOROMA Voice of America 14 May 2000 -- In Sierra Leone, a former coup leader is emerging as one of the country's most popular and powerful political figures.
PHILIPPINES RESCUE Voice of America 14 May 2000 -- Philippine troops have rescued a group of villagers abducted Saturday by the Muslim separatist group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
SRI LANKA DEFENSE Voice of America 14 May 2000 -- Sri Lanka says that its air force continues to pound Tamil rebel targets in a bid to prevent the rebels from taking back their former stronghold of Jaffna city.
ETHIOPIA ELECTION Voice of America 14 May 2000 -- The outcome of the vote is a foregone conclusion. Only half the federal seats are being contested and many of those races are against groups that already support the ruling party.
INDONESIA - ACEH Voice of America 14 May 2000 -- There has been violence in the Indonesian province of Aceh just one day after the signing of an historic peace accord between the government of Indonesia and Aceh's separatist rebels.
MINDANAO SOLUTIONS Voice of America 13 May 2000 -- For 21 days, Islamic rebels in the Philippines have held a group of foreign hostages, bringing worldwide attention to the Muslim insurgency movement in the country's Mindanao region.
SRI LANKA SECURITY Voice of America 13 May 2000 -- The Sri Lankan government has denied Tamil Tiger rebel claims that they are close to retaking their formal stronghold, Jaffna City.
ETHIOPIA/ERITREA Voice of America 13 May 2000 -- Ethiopia says most of the fighting is concentrated on the western front near Sudan where Ethiopian troops backed by tanks and heavy artillery are fighting across the Mereb River inside Eritrea.
ERITREA/ETHIOPIA Voice of America 13 May 2000 -- Eritrean officials say fierce battles are continuing along the Badame front for the second straight day. They deny Ethiopian claims that their troops have broken through Eritrean defenses.
SIERRA LEONE - U-N Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for additional U-N peacekeeping troops to be sent to Sierra Leone, perhaps exceeding the more than 11-thousand soldiers already mandated by the U-N Security Council.
SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- The speakers blamed Mr. Sankoh for much of the death and destruction that has gripped this country since 1991, when Mr. Sankoh, a former Army corporal, launched his civil war against Sierra Leone's central government.
CLINTON - SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- The Clinton administration is warning rebels in Sierra Leone that the world community is serious about strengthening a U-N peacekeeping force to stabilize the situation in the West African country.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- Talks between government negotiators and Islamic rebels holding 21 hostages in the southern Philippines appear to have stalled.
SRI LANKA SOLDIERS Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- Heavy fighting for control of the northern city of Jaffna continues as Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga urged government soldiers to wipe out the menace of Tamil Tiger rebel terrorism.
SOUTH ASIA - CHILD SOLDIERS Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- A group of international non-governmental organizations says Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka are among the militant groups in South Asia using hundreds of child soldiers.
ERITREA / ETHIOPIA FIGHTING Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- Ethiopian troops attacked soon after midnight along the left and right flanks of the highly contested Badame front. By morning the battle had spread, with intense shelling in Zalembessa, 250 kilometers to the East.
U-N / ETHIOPIA-ERITREA Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council has passed a unanimous resolution (Friday night) strongly condemning renewed fighting between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- Ethiopia's army opened a series of new offensives against Eritrean positions in the west, near Sudan; in the east, near Djibouti; and in the center of its border with Eritrea, around the town of Zalambessa.
IN UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION, COUNCIL DEMANDS IMMEDIATE END TO ERITREAN-ETHIOPIAN HOSTILITIES Press Release SC/6861 - 12 May 2000 -- Stressing that renewed hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea constituted a threat to peace and security and an even greater threat to the stability, security and economic development of the subregion, the Security Council tonight demanded that the two countries immediately cease all military actions and refrain from further use of force.
Africa: Sierra Leone Poses 'Seminal Event' For UN Peacekeeping Issue Focus - Foreign Media Reaction 12 May 2000 -- As the week-long crisis in Sierra Leone threatens to push it once again into civil war, and similar scenarios unfold in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Horn of Africa, editorialists around the world mused about what can be done for, and about, Africa. Many determined that "just as Somalia is etched in the collective memory of U.S. policymakers, Sierra Leone is likely to prove a seminal event for the UN."
PRESS CONFERENCE ON PROFIT AGENDA IN CIVIL CONFLICTS 12 May 2000 - Civil wars and internal conflicts were not just about human suffering and costs, but were also about profit and gain for certain parties, Mats Berdal, director of studies of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, told journalists at a press conference at United Nations Headquarters today.
INDONESIA CEASEFIRE Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending 25 years of fighting in the northwestern Indonesian province of Aceh.
ACEH CEASEFIRE ANTICIPATION Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- Police in Indonesia's insurgent Aceh province have vowed to cease activities targetting separatist rebels, as the rebels and the Indonesian government prepare to sign an historic peace accord in Switzerland.
ACEH Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- Indonesia has signed its first ever peace accord with separatist rebels from its northernmost province of Aceh.
U.S. Special Envoy Jesse Jackson Prepares for Mission to Sierra Leone By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 12 May 2000 -- Just days before he departs on a special diplomatic mission to western Africa, the Reverend Jesse Jackson on May 12 made a "moral appeal" to the elusive Sierra Leonian rebel leader Foday Sankoh to show himself, to release U.N. peacekeepers detained by his rebel forces, and to stop "military advances on Freetown."
Text: U.S. Calls on Ethiopia/Eritrea to Resume Peace Talks 12 May 2000 -- State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher on May 12 deplored new reports of heavy fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea. He called on both nations to cease hostilities and to resume peace talks immediately, without preconditions.
Text: U.S. Deputy Rep. to U.N. Issues Statement on Sierra Leone 11 May 2000 -- The United States government and its people view the recent tragic events in Sierra Leone with "shock and dismay," U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations James Cunningham told the Security Council on May 11.
Transcript: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke Surveys U.N. Peacekeeping 11 May 2000 -- "Peacekeepers cannot succeed when there is no peace to keep," the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, warned May 11, while adding that "Sierra Leone, like Bosnia before it, is an example of what happens when the parties to a peace settlement violate that settlement, wreaking havoc on everyone - peacekeepers and civilians alike."
CLINTON - SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 11 May 2000 -- The Clinton administration is warning rebels in Sierra Leone that the world community is serious about reinforcing the U-N peacekeeping presence and stabilizing the situation in the West African country.
SIERRA LEONE / ESCAPE Voice of America 11 May 2000 -- In Sierra Leone, three British military observers and one from New Zealand have escaped from a compound surrounded by the country's Revolutionary United Front rebels.
LANKAN WAR Voice of America 11 May 2000 -- More than 100 Sri Lankan soldiers and Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed in fierce fighting now under way in northern Sri Lanka as the battle for control of Jaffna continues.
ETHIOPIA / DROUGHT Voice of America 11 May 2000 -- More than 16-million people in the Horn of Africa are facing hunger because of drought -- most of them in Ethiopia.
THE RUSSIAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE AND PACE RECOMMENDATION 1456 (2000) ON THE SITUATION IN THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, IGOR IVANOV (Strasbourg, May 11, 2000) The armed aggression of the forces of international terrorism against Dagestan, which neighbors on Chechnya, the explosions of residential houses in Moscow and some other cities in the country have overstretched patience.
TRY TO TAKE AN IMPARTIAL LOOK AT THE NEW SITUATION IN CHECHNYA AND THE RUSSIAN ACTIONS Foreign Affairs Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov 11.05.2000 -- No normal person can, of course, remain indifferent to the tragic pages of the Chechen crisis. The Russians themselves perceive it still more acutely. For it involves our land and our countrymen.
ACEH-CEASEFIRE Voice of America 11 May 2000 -- Rebels in Indonesia's restive Aceh province are due to sign a cease-fire agreement with the government Friday.
COUNCIL CALLS ON GEORGIA PARTIES TO FINALIZE AGREEMENTS ON CONFLICT PREVENTION, REFUGEE RETURNS Press Release SC/6855 - 11 May 2000 -- The Security Council this morning called upon the parties in the conflict in Georgia to finalize their work on and to sign a draft agreement on peace and guarantees for the prevention of armed confrontation.
AFGHANISTAN TALKS CONCLUDE IN JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA; AGREEMENT REACHED ON PRISONER EXCHANGE Press Release SG/SM/7388 - AFG/115 -- 10 May 2000
ASIA-CHILD SOLDIERS Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- A coalition of social activists is scheduled to meet in Nepal next week to discuss ways to enact a global ban on the use of children as soldiers.
U-N ROUTED IN SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- The United Nations peacekeeping effort in the West African nation of Sierra Leone is in jeopardy. An insurgent guerilla force has captured hundreds of U-N troops and Westerners are fleeing Freetown, the capital.
SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- Thousands of civilians are flooding into Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, chased from their homes by new fighting between rebels and pro- government troops.
UGANDA / RWANDA Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- Uganda and Rwanda are accusing each other of massing troops along their border.
HOSTAGE TALKS FAIL Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- Negotiators in the Philippines failed Wednesday to convince Muslim rebels to free two ailing Europeans, who are among 21 captives being held in the south of the country.
PHILPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- In the Philippines, emissaries are meeting with Abu Sayyaf Muslim rebels trying to secure the release of 21 mostly foreign hostages being held on the southern island of Jolo.
LANKA/DEFENSE Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- Fierce fighting has broken out in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula. Military officials say the rebels breached army defenses in some places.
U-N - ETHIOPIA - ERITREA Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- Three days of shuttle-diplomacy by a U-N Security Council delegation has failed to persuade Ethiopia and Eritrea to resume stalled peace talks aimed at ending the two-year war.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- U-N ambassadors are continuing their efforts to end the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
UNAMSIL Digging In Near Freetown By Judy Aita Washington File 10 May 2000 -- With Revolutionary United Front (RUF) fighters reported "on the move" in Sierra Leone, U.N. peacekeepers have begun consolidating their positions near Freetown, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said May 10.
Dayton's Accords Working Slowly, U.N. Official Reports By Judy Aita Washington File 10 May 2000 -- Describing the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina's economy, the resettlement of displaced people, and the fractured national leadership, the U.N. High Representative to Bosnia said May 9 that progress in implementing the Dayton peace accords "is as slow and painful as ever -- but it is working."
Efforts Intensify to Stabilize Sierra Leone By Judy Aita Washington File 09 May 2000 -- Calling the situation in Freetown "unstable and very tense," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a statement May 8 that he and other U.N. officials were extremely concerned about the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sierra Leone amid reports of continuing military movements by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).
U.N. Trying to Save Sierra Leone Peace Process By Judy Aita Washington File 09 May 2000 -- Coordinating wide-ranging peacemaking and peacekeeping efforts in the region, the United Nations has declared that it is not going to abandon Sierra Leone to new attacks by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and its leader, Foday Sankoh.
U.S. Official Outlines Position on Illicit Diamond Trade in Africa 09 May 2000 -- By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File -- Commenting on the flood of illegal diamonds fueling conflicts in Sierra Leone, Angola, and elsewhere, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Howard Jeter told House Africa Subcommittee members May 9 that the Clinton administration will take no action that "puts at risk the national interests and economic welfare of Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia."
U-N / BOSNIA Voice of America 09 May 2000 -- In New York Tuesday, the diplomat in charge of implementing the peace agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, said the Dayton Accord is working.
The Architecture of Peace in Africa and the World Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State, 2000 Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South Africa, May 9, 2000 -- First, borders must not be changed by force, whether through aggression or violent secessionism. Political boundaries cannot and must not be redefined along ethnographic lines. To redraw the map in that way is to risk soaking an entire continent in blood. Europe, like Africa, has learned that lesson the hard way.
SECURITY COUNCIL HEARS BRIEFING ON SITUATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BY HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF DAYTON ACCORDS Press Release SC/6854 - 9 May 2000 - Progress in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords was as slow and painful as ever -- but it was working
PRESS BRIEFING BY HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF DAYTON ACCORDS 9 May 2000 - Four and a half years after the Dayton Peace Accords, their implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a success.
Africa's Diamonds: Precious, Perilous Too? Howard F. Jeter, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Testimony before the House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Africa - Washington, DC, May 9, 2000 I want to reaffirm emphatically at the outset that we will take no action in regard to trade in diamonds that puts at risk the national interests and economic welfare of Botswana, South Africa and Namibia.
ZIMBABWE / CRISIS Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- The crisis in Zimbabwe appears to be deepening, following the killing of a third white farmer.
CHILDREN / WAR Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- The charity Save the Children is calling for urgent action to protect about 13-million children forced from their homes by war.
SIERRA LEONE EVACUATIONS Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- British Army helicopters have started evacuating British nationals from Sierra Leone.
SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- In Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, at least four civilians have been killed and 40 wounded by rebel fighters who opened fire on a crowd of protesters outside the home of rebel leader Foday Sankoh's.
U-N/ SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has called once again for a rapid reaction force to help peacekeepers in Sierra Leone curb the deteriorating situation in the West African nation.
CLINTON-SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- The Clinton administration says it is considering providing logistical support to help restore the authority of the beleaguered U-N peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone.
PHILIPPINES / HOSTAGES Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- Twenty-one hostages held by Muslim rebels on a southern Philippines island are pleading for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
PHILIPPINES / MUSLIMS Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- Muslims in the Philippines are anxiously watching the twin hostage crises unfolding in the Mindanao region, in the southern part of the country.
E-U / PHILIPPINES Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana is flying to the Philippines to discuss ways to free European hostages being held by Muslim rebels.
LANKA/CEASEFIRE Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- Sri Lanka has rejected a rebel call for a ceasefire to enable the evacuation of government troops from Jaffna, the former Tamil rebel stronghold.
ETHIOPIA / ERITREA Voice of America 08 May 2000 -- A delegation from the United Nations Security Council is in Ethiopia, trying to end that country's border war with Eritrea.
Text: Uganda and Rwanda Issue Joint Declaration on DROC 08 May 2000 -- Uganda and Rwanda agreed May 8 to withdraw their forces currently deployed in and around the city of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC).
Press Conference Following Meeting With President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and UN Delegation Ambassador Richard Holbroke, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Kigali, Rwanda, May 7, 2000 --
United Nations Security Council Delegation and Government of Rwanda Joint Declaration Kigali, Rwanda, May 7, 2000
SIERRA LEONE / U-N Voice of America 06 May 2000 -- The stand-off continues in Sierra Leone between the United Nations and a rebel group believed to be holding more than 300 U-N peacekeepers captive.
PHILIPPINES - REBEL Voice of America 06 May 2000 -- A unilateral ceasefire declared by the biggest Moslem rebel group in the Philippines is now in effect. All 21 captives held by another separatist group are reportedly alive, contrary to earlier reports.
HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS Voice of America 06 May 2000 -- The top negotiator for the release of 21 hostages seized by Islamic rebels from the Philippines says the guerrilla group has so far failed to provide a new list of demands for the hostage's release.
NORTHERN IRELAND AGREEMENT Voice of America 06 May 2000 -- The Irish Republican Army has agreed to begin giving up its weapons in a move that could see the return of home rule to the troubled province.
CONGO FIGHTING Voice of America 06 May 2000 -- United Nations officials in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo say a tense calm has returned to the rebel-held city of Kisangani after clashes on Friday between Ugandan and Rwandan troops.
SOUTHERN AFRICA / ZIMBABWE Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- South African President Thabo Mbeki is in Zimbabwe as part of the continuing initiative by Southern Africa leaders to persuade Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to end the continuing political crises in his country.
ZIMBABWE / ISSUES Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- The head of an organization promoting democratic reform in Africa says the farmland controversy in Zimbabwe is preventing larger, more fundamental issues from being addressed.
SIERRA LEONE - U-N Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Revolutionary United Front are now believed to be detaining more than 300 other U-N peacekeepers.
MILF CEASEFIRE ANNOUNCED Friday, May 05, 2000 - Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has declared a unilateral 48-hour ceasefire beginning tomorrow.
BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA GOVT INSTALLATIONS ATTACKED Friday, May 05, 2000 - Six installations, five of which were government facilities, were subjected to grenade attacks. Five of the incidents took place in the district of Aceh Utara.
COUNCIL, IN PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT, DEMANDS CESSATION OF UGANDAN-RWANDAN HOSTILITIES; CALLS RENEWED KISANGANI CLASHES THREAT TO LUSAKA AGREEMENT Press Release SC/6853 - 5 May 2000
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Some of the fifteen hostages rescued on Wednesday say they were tortured by their Muslim rebel captors. They were among 27 captives seized March 20th by a band of Abu Sayyaf rebels.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGE-TAKERS Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- A double hostage crisis, one involving foreign tourists, has focused worldwide attention on the little-known Muslim separatist movement in the Philippines and on a radical group called the Abu Sayyaf.
LEBANON / ATTACK REACT Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Lebanese government officials reacted angrily, to overnight bombing raids by Israeli warplanes, which knocked out electricity to over one third of the country.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon have fired rockets into northern Israel for the second day, injuring at least one person.
SRI LANKA - GOVERNMENT MINISTER Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- The Tamil Tiger rebels have recently scored some major military victories in northern Sri Lanka but today (Friday) a Sri Lankan government minister expressed confidence the rebels will not win the country's 17 year ethnic war.
ZIMBABWE / CONGO Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Zimbabwe's continued military involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains a controversial political and economic issue as the country prepares for parliamentary elections.
U-N CONGO FIGHTING Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council today (Friday) formally condemned the recent outbreak of fighting in Congo-Kinshasa.
CONGO / RWANDA / UGANDA Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Fresh fighting has broken out in the rebel- held Congolese city of Kisangani between Ugandan and Rwandan forces backing rival rebel factions in their war against Congo-Kinshasa's president, Laurent Kabila.
COLOMBIA-DRUGS Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Clashes between Colombian government troops and leftist and rightist guerrillas are growing more frequent as a result of an expanding crackdown on drug traffickers, who have close ties with the guerillas.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Russian officials say they are moving ahead with plans to establish direct federal rule in the breakaway republic of Chechnya.
WFP / ANGOLA Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- The United Nations World Food Program, W-F-P, says it is facing a funding crisis in war-torn Angola.
AFGHAN / U-N Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- A spokesman for Afghanistan's dominant Taleban faction said today/Friday that the group will not initiate fighting this summer with opposition forces in the country.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- One day after the announcement of a breakthrough peace deal between the Indonesian government and separatist rebels in the northern Indonesia province of Aceh, differences in interpretation of the agreement are emerging.
ZIMBABWE / MILITARY Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- In Zimbabwe, credible reports have emerged about the involvement of government troops in coordinating and supporting the recent invasions of white-owned farms by independence war veterans and other poor landless blacks.
SECURITY COUNCIL, IN PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT, CONDEMNS ACTIONS OF RUF IN SIERRA LEONE, SAYS FODAY SANKOH ‘MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE’ Press Release SC/6852 - 4 May 2000 -- Security Council this afternoon demanded that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) end its hostile actions, release immediately and unharmed all detained United Nations.
SIERRA LEONE - U-N Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- In Sierra Leone, the United Nations says only four of its peacekeepers were killed on Tuesday, not seven as was initially reported.
AFRICA PEACEKEEPING Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- The deaths of four United Nations peacekeepers in Sierra Leone are raising concerns about future U-N peacekeeping missions in Africa - among them, one proposed for the Congo.
PHILIPPINE HOSTAGES Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- There is growing concern over the fate of 21 hostages held in the southern Philippines after their Islamic separatist captors split them into small groups and took them deeper into the jungle.
U-N ENVOY / BEIRUT Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- Lebanon is linking acceptance of an international force to an Israeli pullout from all occupied Lebanese territory.
ISRAEL / LEBANON Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- Lebanese guerrillas have fired dozens of rockets into civilian areas in northern Israel injuring at least two people and causing property damage.
SRI LANKA GOVERNMENT Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- The Sri Lankan government has mobilized the country to a war status in a bid to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels.
COLOMBIAN MIGRANTS Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- Hundreds of Colombians rallied in Miami today (Thursday) demanding that the United States grant special protective status to tens of thousands of newly arrived Colombian migrants who fled their homeland to escape a brutal guerrilla war.
COLOMBIA DRUGS Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- Colombia's largest leftist rebel group says it too wants to work to stop drug trafficking in the South American nation -- even though the guerrillas finance their struggle from revenues generated by the drug trade.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- Russian officials today/Thursday denied reports they are planning to hold peace negotiations with Chechen leaders.
ALGERIA - VIOLENCE Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- Reports from Algeria say Islamic militants have killed at least 19 people and wounded another 26 in what appears to be the worst flare up of violence to hit the North African country in recent months.
INDONESIA / ACEH PEACE DEAL Voice of America 04 May 2000 -- Indonesia's human rights minister says the government will sign a cease-fire next week with separatist rebels from northern Aceh province.
ZIMBABWE / FARMS Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- It was a triumphant and unrepentant Mr. Mugabe who appeared before scores of supporters in Harare for the formal launch of his ruling ZANU P-F party's manifesto for the coming parliamentary elections.
ZIMBABWE / MUGABE Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- President Robert Mugabe has rejected international criticism of his government over recent political violence tied to the seizures of white-owned farms by black war veterans and other landless poor.
ZIMBABWE / CRISIS Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- Clearly over 70 percent of the people were not born in 1980, so there is no way they can be war veterans. These are unemployed thugs that the ruling party has rounded up in the cities and rural areas.
Text: East Timor Repatriation and Security Act of 2000 03 May 2000 -- Representatives James McGovern (Democrat of Massachusetts) and Chris Smith (Republican of New Jersey) introduced May 3 H.R. 4357, a bill that would forbid U.S. military cooperation with the Indonesian military while East Timorese continue to be hindered from returning to their homeland and until "military attacks against East Timor are ended."
U-N / EAST TIMOR ROLE Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- UNTAET -- the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor - was established to help rebuild the territory after it was laid waste by armed militia groups eight months ago. But the slow pace of improvement has led to a growing sense of resentment among many East Timorese.
U-N SIERRA LEONE REACT Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- United Nations officials are expressing outrage at the killing of seven U-N peacekeepers in the west African Nation of Sierra Leone.
SIERRA LEONE FIGHTING Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- According to the U-N mission in Sierra Leone, UNAMSIL, rebel fighters from the Revolutionary United Front, or R-U-F, attacked Kenyan peacekeeping units in the towns of Makeni and Magburaka on Tuesday.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- Fighting between Philippine troops and Islamic rebels has left at least four hostages dead and several others wounded.
COLOMBIA DRUGS Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- Drug production and trafficking flourishes in Colombia in large part because the dealers are protected by various armed groups - including leftist guerrillas and rightwing paramilitary organizations.
AIDS SECURITY THREAT / MILITARY Voice of America 03 May 2000 -- The United States has declared AIDS a threat to national security, warning it has the potential to ignite ethnic conflicts abroad and could result in the collapse of some governments.
ZIMBABWE / FARM POLITICS Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- Zimbabwe's ruling, but widely unpopular, ZANU P-F party appears resigned to losing urban constituencies to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in upcoming parliamentary elections.
UNHCR / EAST TIMOR Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- The United Nations refugee agency, the U- N-H-C-R, reports that many of the East Timorese refugees remaining in West Timor are reluctant to return home because they fear for their security.
SUDAN AFTER AL-TURABI Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- The five months since Mr. Turabi was shunted aside have seen a series of efforts by Sudan to improve ties with its neighbors and the United States.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ‘OUTRAGEOUS, CRIMINAL’ ACTS AGAINST UN PEACEKEEPERS IN SIERRA LEONE Press Release SG/SM/7377 - 2 May 2000 -- The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by recent incidents in Sierra Leone, during which fighters belonging to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) have physically obstructed the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration process.
U-N-SIERRA LEONE Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council tonight (Tuesday) condemned the recent attacks on U-N peacekeepers in the western African nation of Sierra Leone.
SIERRA LEONE / U-N TROOPS Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone says 17 peacekeepers have been detained by former rebels in the north and east of the country.
ASIA/PIRACY Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- In Asia's waters, the number of reported pirate attacks on ships has jumped threefold in the last five years and presents a major safety threat to vessels and crews.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- Muslim extremists in the Southern Philippines have threatened to behead some of the hostages they kidnapped from a Malaysian diving resort last month.
CHIAPAS BISHOP Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- The new Catholic bishop in southern Mexico's troubled state of Chiapas says he hopes he can help bring about a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
LANKA / PALLAI Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have taken Pallai -- a key military base on the Jaffna Peninsula -- and are attacking another important military camp.
CAMBODIA / KHMER ROUGE Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- The United Nations' preliminary deal to try leaders of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge for genocide appeared in jeopardy Tuesday.
EMBATTLED ARMENIA Voice of America 02 May 2000 -- In Armenia's ongoing power struggle, President Robert Kocharian has dismissed two of his major opponents, the prime minister and the defense minister. On a trip to Moscow, they had just agreed to accept a Russian army division that is scheduled to withdraw from neighboring Georgia.
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGE Voice of America 01 May 2000 -- A Philippine government doctor visited 21 foreign hostages Monday afternoon as efforts to end two hostage dramas in the Southern Philippines appear to be making little progress.
LEBANON ECONOMY Voice of America 01 May 2000 -- A visitor arriving in Lebanon after a long absence is immediately struck by how quickly the country appears to have recovered from the devastating civil war of the 1970s and 1980s.
SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SUDAN GOVERNMENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF HUMANITARIAN CEASEFIRE, 29 APRIL TO 15 JULY Press Release SG/SM/7374 - 1 May 2000
CONGO - KINSHASA Voice of America 01 May 2000 -- The president of Congo-Kinshasa and several other African leaders wrap-up a one-day summit in Algeria where they discussed the cease-fire in Congo
U.N. Security Council Mission Leaving for DRC By Judy Aita Washington File 01 May 2000 -- The United Nations Security Council Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which plans to meet with representatives of all the signatories to that country's cease-fire agreement, is viewed as a benchmark undertaking by many of its participants.
COHEN - AIDS Voice of America 01 May 2000 -- Defense Secretary William Cohen says the military will join the struggle against AIDS by listening to African leaders and pressing the U-S Congress for more money to fight the disease.
CLINTON - AIDS Voice of America 01 May 2000 -- The Clinton administration says it will seek greater support from U-S allies in the fight against the global spread of the deadly disease AIDS.
AIDS SECURITY THREAT Voice of America 01 May 2000 -- The United States has declared AIDS a threat to national security, saying it could help topple foreign governments, hinder economic and democratic reforms and even trigger ethnic conflicts.
PAK / AFGHAN / U-S TERRORISM Voice of America 01 May 2000 -- Officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan have strongly denied State Department allegations that their countries provide support to people involved in international terrorism.