Africa Media Watch

In this week's Africa Media Watch:

• What is to be done with Sierra Leone's captured rebel leader?
• Ethiopia and Eritrea's neighbours nervous as war resumes
• Scholars urge a boost for African language teaching
• African basketballers aim to get their message across

'Rebel leader should be made an example'

The capture of Sierra Leone rebel leader Foday Sankoh by pro-government forces in Freetown this week was widely welcomed, not least in those African countries whose soldiers are among the UN troops still being held hostage by the RUF.

Kenya's Daily Nation said the capture of Mr Sankoh could be could be a turning point in Sierra Leone's bloody civil war.

Sankoh remains a vital ingredient in our wobbly peace process

The Progress, Freetown

"But now that the Freetown government has captured this most bloodthirsty tyrant, what does it intend to do with him?", the paper asked.

"Hanging him from the nearest tree would have been the best option by far, but his rebels still hold about 350 UN troops... In any case, due process will have to be observed, starting with declaring him an international war criminal," it said.

"Good news! Sankoh has been nabbed", said Uganda's The Monitor.

"We can begin by making an example of people like Sankoh. He should be condemned to life imprisonment and jailed in a high security jail on some island," the paper said.

Sierra Leone's own The Progess newspaper took a more cautious line.

Sankoh captured, but what next?

"It is unquestionable that most people want him tried and killed instantly, judging from public opinion in Freetown" the paper said.

But the paper also asked "what guarantee do we have that the rebel [leader] that will replace him will not be worse than him?"

Threat to regional stability

As the renewed fighting between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces intensified, countries in the region called for an end to hostilities and expressed concern about the wider implications for regional stability.

In a statement quoted by Algerian TV, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika - currently chairman of the 52-member Organisation of African Unity - was quick to express concern at "this regretable development".

The impact of war between Eritrea and Ethiopia is not confined to the two countries, but will extend to the whole region

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman

Bouteflika said the resumption of fighting, after the intensive efforts made by the OAU in order to reach a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict, "will alarm Africa and the entire international community".

It was "regretable that the two sides have resorted to force instead of negotiations", he said.

Sudan, which borders both warring countries, also expressed concern.

The Sudanese news agency SUNA reported that Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail had called in the Eritrean Charge d'Affaires in Sudan to express Khartoum's worries.

Neighbours wary as fighting intensifies

Mr Ismail "pointed out that the impact of the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia is not confined to the two countries, but will extend to the whole region, and threaten peace and security in the area," SUNA reported.

The Pan-African News Agency reported that Tunisia had also expressed its "deep preoccupation and grave concern" over the fighting, and had voiced support for OAU efforts to find a peaceful solution.

Boosting African languages

African scholars and academics have issued a call for Africa's indigenous languages to be elevated as alternative medium of instruction in schools across the continent, Kenyan media reported this week.

African languages losing out?

The call came at the first International Conference of African Languages for Education and Technology, held in the Kenyan city of Kisumu.

Reporting the conference, The Nation newspaper quoted one delegate who said that if indigenous languages were allowed to die "then the African people would cease to exist".

"African languages are important not only because they preserve African cultures but because it is through them that we can reclaim our black consciousness," another delegate said.

The development and teaching of native languages in countries like South Africa, Ghana, Zambia and Uganda was held up as an example for others to emulate.

A follow-up conference will be held in two years to examine the possibility of setting up an International African Languages Association, the paper reported.

Basketballers hit the TV spot

A report from Nigeria that African basketballers currently playing for the American National Basketball Association have filmed public service announcements dealing with problems in their home countries.

Nigerian-born Hakeem Olajuwon, who plays with the Houston Rockets, is among those taking part. He features in a TV spot about the Aids epidemic in Africa.

Dikembe Mutombo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is also involved. Mutombo is currently raising money to build a hospital in his home country and also works for a UN program in aid of child education.

The TV spots, which feature 37 non-US players from 25 nations, will reach an audience of millions when they are aired during NBA telecasts in 42 countries.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.