From: wsargeant@IGC.ORG (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:Malawi, U.S. sees aid freeze at com'
Date: 12 Apr 92 21:29:19 GMT

/* Written  7:15 pm  Apr 10, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "MALAWI: U.S. SEES AID FREEZE AT COM" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: North America; Europe, western
Title: MALAWI: U.S. SEES AID FREEZE AT COMING PARIS DONORS' MEETING


att editors:   pls relate the following to 'malawi: u.s. urges
banda to set free trade unionist'moved from
lilongwe.

washington, apr 7 (ips/jim lobe) -- u.s. officials told ips
tuesday western nations are ''quite likely'' to freeze new
commitments of aid to the government of malawian president
hastings kamuzu banda at a donors' meeting in paris in may.

''the western donors want to come down fairly hard on banda,''
said one official, who asked not to be identified. ''we're
consulting very, very closely.''

his remarks came after monday's arrest by the government of
opposition leader chafukwa chihana, a long-time labour leader who
has already spent more than seven years in the country's prisons.

the united states and other western countries deplored the
arrest.  in a rare public criticism of banda, washington said it
viewed chihana's detention with ''serious concern''.

chihana, who was returning from meetings with malawian exiles
and advocates of multi-party rule, ''has really challenged the
government by going back and attempting to lead a multi-party
democratic movement,'' said washington's africa watch director,
holly burkhalter.

but the arrest also poses a ''serious challenge to the
international community,'' she added.

''are the u.s. and other donor countrieds going to sit back and
watch this genuinely democratic leader simply thrown into jail
forever, like so many others in malawi?''

she added that the may meeting of malawi's 'consultative group' --
the consortium of international and bilateral aid donors to the
country -- ''will test that proposition''.

washington has found itself increasingly at odds with banda,
the country's first and only leader who has ruled since
independence from britian in 1964.

washington objected strongly to the government's efforts last
month to suppress a pastoral letter by the country's catholic
bishops' conference which called for greater freedom and free
elections in malawi. (more/ips)

malawi:  u.s. (2)

copies of the letter -- the first publicly distributed
criticism of banda's government in more than 25 years -- were
seized, and the bishops themselves were detained and interrogated
by security forces for four days, according to 'africa watch' and
other human rights groups here.

the government also launched a campaign of vilification against
the bishops in the nation's press -- a move which provoked student
demonstrations in support of the letter.

banda has exercised tight control over the country ''through a
vicious police network, a single political party, and paramilitary
organisations such as the young pioneers, which operate as a
national intelligence network,'' an 'africa watch' report said
recently.

but banda was long considered a staunch ally of the west in the
cold war and received substantial aid since independence from
britain and the united states.  washington's current aid programme
runs at a little over 20 million dollars a year, which includes a
small military training programme.

with the end of the cold war, and with the warming of ties
between neighbouring mozambique and the west, banda is now seen
far less favourably, according to u.s. officials.

but he retains influence in the west, primarily because malawi
now hosts about one million refugees from the civil war in
mozambique.  in order to supply relief aid, these officials say,
western governments and humanitarian agencies are forced to work
with malawi's regime.

nonetheless, the official who spoke on condition of anonymity
said the west appears to have run out of patience, and that an aid
freeze, similar to one imposed by kenya's donors in november, is
''quite likely'' to result from the paris meeting in mid-may.

''we've laid down certain markers to the government before the
meeting,'' he said.  these include demands that the government
change or release all political prisoners, permit international
inspection of the prisons and all prisoners, and hold free
elections for parliament.

''but there's been absolutely no progress,'' said the source.

but washington does not expect a popular explosion against
banda, who, at 94, is described as ''still very much in control.
i suspect nothing much will change until he dies,'' the official
said. (end/ips/ip/jl/yjc/92)

Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american