WATER levels in Mozambique’s Pungue valley continue to rise after widespread flooding at the weekend. Maputo daily Noticias reports that the rising Pungue river in the central Sofala province are threatening to cut off the main highway between Zimbabwe and the Indian Ocean port of Beira. The newspaper reports flood waters were lapping at the Beira-Zimbabwe road in two separate areas on Sunday. Rains have stopped in the region, but the Pungue’s tributaries are still carrying large amounts of water into the main river.
UK ACCUSED OF SHELLING FREETOWN
SIERRA Leonean rebel commander Sam Bockarie accused the British navy on Monday of shelling its positions in Freetown.”Great Britain is part of this conflict. They are using their boat against us,” Bockarie said from Abidjan via satellite telephone. The field commander said Britain is “bringing in arms and ammunition to kill our people”. A British frigate, HMS Norfolk, is currently anchored off the coast of Freetown. Helicopters from the ship have been used to deliver humanitarian supplies to the capital, devastated by almost two weeks of fighting. Bockarie said rebels will respect a unilateral ceasefire beginning 6pm on Monday.
SOMALI’S TRIAL BEGINS IN ROME
THE trial of a Somali man accused of taking part in the 1994 murders of two Italian television journalists in Mogadishu started in Rome on Monday. Hashi Omar Hassan (25) is charged with driving the vehicle from which militiamen opened fire on a car in which Ilaria Alpi and Miran Hrovatin were riding.Hassan’s lawyer, Douglas Duale, said that his client had a verifiable alibi and claimed the Italian government wants a “scapegoat”. Hassan was arrested in January 1998 after arriving in Italy to testify to a commission investigating charges that Italian soldiers had tortured civilians during the 1992-93 United Nations operation in Somalia. Hassan said he was tortured by Italian soldiers.