THE former campaign manager of Zambian President Frederick Chiluba, who switched to the opposition in a bid to unseat his old boss, was murdered at his home on Friday in a crime the opposition blames on the state. Paul Tembo (41) was murdered execution-style in front of his horrified wife, his lawyers said. The killers stole nothing. The high-profile murder of Tembo heightened political tensions in Zambia as African ministers gathered in the southern African nation for a heads of state annual summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Tembo was due to give evidence on Friday at a tribunal investigating corruption and abuse of office by three cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Katele Kalumba. – Reuters
‘WE’RE BEHAVING OURSELVES – COME AND SEE’
A TEAM sent by the United Nations said on Thursday it had begun looking into whether Liberia was respecting UN demands to cut off support for Sierra Leonean rebels. The United Nations imposed sanctions on the West African country in May after deciding Liberia had not done enough to implement a UN resolution demanding an end to its backing for the Revolutionary United Front. The UN Security Council hit Liberia in May with a one-year embargo on diamond exports and a ban on travel by senior officials. It also extended an earlier arms embargo. Liberia complained that the United Nations sent nobody to check on whether it had complied with demands to cut support for the RUF before the sanctions were imposed. – Reuters
Friday July 6, 2001