AROUND
THE
WORLD
MOZAMBIQUE
Renamo massacres
A US report accuses Renamo, the South
African-supported guerrilla movement, of being responsible for massacres and atrocities in the zones that they occupy. The report was commissioned by the Refugee
Programs office of the State Department to investigate why around 20,000-30,000 Mozambiquans were flooding into neighbouring countries every month.
At the end of April on the basis of the study Roy Stacy, the Vice-Secretary of
State for African Affairs, accused the Mozambiquan rebels of perpetrating one of the worst holocausts since the second world war. In one year, 100,000 people have be-
The investigator was sent by the United
States to refugee camps in Zimbabwe, Malawi (where 450,000-500,000 Mozambiquans are living), Tanzania, Zambia and
Mozambique itself. He questioned nearly
MOZAMBIQUE
Tanzania
Zambia
Malawi
• Cabora
Bassa
Beira
Zimbabwe
Indian
Ocean
Swaziland O, MAPUTO
South
Indian
Ocean 3
E Allantic
:Ocean
200 refugees, 90 per cent of whom said they had fled to avoid the conflict that is tearing their country apart. Their accounts of the reasons for the emigration clearly pointed the finger of accusation at Renamo, although Frelimo [Front for the Liberation of Mozambique] forces were not entirely unblameworthy, even if to a much lesser
Renamo resorts to violence to provide its rebels with things it needs to continue its struggle: provisions, money and labour. Renamo acts in a barbarous and inhumane way towards the populations in the zones it
The refugees spoke about the daily horror that Mozambiquans have suffered for years. Renamo resorts to kidnappings to replenish its ranks. Even children are not spared. Depending on their age they are either put to work in degrading jobs or enrolled as fighters from the age of
According to this report, the rebels do not hesitate to massacre entire families to force villages to obey them. In addition to the massacres are the battles engaged by Renamo and the regular Maputo troops that result in many victims among the civilian population who are caught in the cross-
While it appears that the conduct of Frelimo soldiers has clearly improved since 1986, Renamo's exactions multiply.
The United States has not officially accused South Africa of supporting Renamo. Even though Roy Stacy refrains from explicitly naming the Pretoria government, he stated that those who supported Renamo, wherever they are, cannot wash the blood off their hands unless they immediately stop all support for this unbelievable vioNIGERIA Massive strike wave THE RISE in prices for oil products (a 6% average increase), decided by the Nigerian government under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sparked off a wave of protests without precedent since President Babangida came to office in
The massive strike movement ended with an agreement at the beginning of May between the unions and the government. But it represents only a suspension of hostilities, given that many questions raised by the strikers were not resolved.
AROUND THE WORLD
The unions won their demands that there would be no victimizations of strikers, and that arrested strike leaders would be released. The government promised to encourage negotiations on wages as soon as possible, and to rediscuss the question of petrol price rises — although the best that can probably be hoped for is that the recent increases will now be frozen.
This violent reaction was not really surprising given that the debate on abolishing subsidies has lasted some months, and that since the beginning of the negotiations with the IMF the ruling military group put off taking this decision, which all observers would be inacceptable to the
The prices rises became a symbol both of the IMF's "interference" in Nigeria and as a measure that has directly affected the whole population. Nigerians have suffered from a successive onslaught of economic reforms over the past years. The decision appeared all the more bizarre to Nigerians because their country is one of the world's big oil producers. They cannot understand why they no longer benefit from petrol prices that are among the lowest in the
The first reaction to the price rises was the tragic riots at Jos, put down at the cost of six deaths. The unions took over from the students, and slowly paralyzed the country, in particular the capital, Lagos. The insurance companies and the banks went on strike, and the suspension of their activity threatened other sectors.
A ban on all demonstrations or strikes, announced on April 25, had little effect. But this move showed that the government was ready to react rapidly to a crisis that could quickly become serious.
On May 1, Lagos international airport was closed following strikes caused by petrol price rises. Transport was minimal, and thousands of functionaries found it difficult to get to work. The tension grew and security was reinforced at strategic sites, in particular at the government's quarters, Dodan Barracks, and around oil
The government had only a very small room for manoeuvre. If the strike movement had taken on a national character, it would have developed into a showdown of forces. The chaos and complete disruption of central economic functions had jeopardized efforts to get the economy back on its feet - an economy devastated by years of bad management.
On the other hand, in order to continue its policies the government needed the backing of the IMF more than ever, and they will certainly not compromise around the question of oil product subsidies. It should be remembered that Nigeria's foreign debt is estimated at around $26,000 million.
If a future national strike movement takes off, it could well be much more embarrassing for the government, which only just managed to avoid its oil industry being par- 11 alyzed. * May 30, 1988 • #142 International Viewpoint
"The PRT's election
MEXICO antipoliticians. The latter are very democratic and very much implicated in corruption. But they also have popular roots and links to the peasant, trade-union and other mass organizations.
campaign is based on
All these sectors are seen today as "dinosaurs," people who are not modern and who have to be shunted to the sidelines to open mass struggles"
up the way for a new generation of people educated in the United States, who got their doctorates from places like Harvard, and who do not come directly from the social organizations traditionally controlled by