DAKAR, Sept 22 (AFP) - Bloody events in Ivory Coast and Burundi have fueled "Afro-pessimism" and cast new doubt on prospects of success for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The continent's conflict-prone image was reinforced by the failed coup in Ivory Coast, once a beacon of stability, and by a masssacre in Burundi reported in the midst of ceasefire negotiations in a civil war that has dragged on for nearly a decade. The good intentions behind the NEPAD initiative, seeking Western aid and investment against pledges of good governance and democratization, are repeatedly given the lie by reports of continued corruption, political repression, ethnic unrest, fraudulent elections and human rights violations. "Are Africans damned?" asked a Senegalese commentator, noting that Senegal and Cape Verde were the only two among 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that have not experienced coups since gaining independence. "Why such self-sabotage, such waste?" he asked of the Ivory Coast, whose record of stability was shattered with a successful coup in December 1999 from which it has yet to recover. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, several African presidents unveiled their visions of a new Africa that does not seek handouts from the developed world, but partnerships of mutual interest. Among them was Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, at the forefront of efforts to convince foreign companies to invest in Africa, arguing that the continent should not be written off because of a few bad apples. His South African counterpart and co-architect of NEPAD, Thabo Mbeki, said on the ruling African National Congress (ANC) web site: "Nothing that the skeptics and our opponents do will stop the realization of the objectives contained in NEPAD." Mbeki recalled that progress had been achieved in some peace processes in Africa. He did not include Somalia, locked in various tribal wars since 1991. But he did mention the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, Sierra Leone, the Comoros Islands, Sudan and Burundi. Burundi is a small central African state whose population, like that of its neighbour Rwanda, consists of Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. It has been torn since 1993 by a civil war that not even Nelson Mandela, the much-respected and influential former South African president, has been able to end. This week brought news of the massacre of at least 173 people at Gitega in the centre of Burundi. As in the darkest times of this conflict, most of the victims were civilians. The army admitted having opened fire, but stressed that the victims were either hostages or accomplices of their opponents. But this week also brought good news. In line with an accord signed in July in Kinshasa, Rwandan forces began their withdrawal from the DRC, the vast central African state rent by a conflict which has drawn in half-a- dozen states. But clashes have also resumed between Mai Mai militia -- their name comes from the water with which they sprinkle themselves in the belief this protects them from bullets -- and rebels of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) supported by neighbouring Rwanda. Then came the Thursday bombshell in Ivory Coast, with several hundred dead. On Friday, Amara Essy, speaking on behalf of the newly created African Union (AU), condemend the attempted coup and reiterated that "peace and security are indispensable elements in the construction of the African Union and the implementation of its program, NEPAD." Essy also vehemently condemned the Gitega massacre. Africa's Western partners were already in doubt in March about NEPAD's commitment to its aims, when Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe pushed ahead controversial land reforms accompanied by violence, arrests, press restrictions and measures against political opponents. Meanwhile the island of Madagascar off Africa's east coast descended into chaos with two embittered rivals challenging each other for the presidency. To fight under-development, famine, poverty, disease and illiteracy, NEPAD has set itself major targets, including good governances of African states, infrastructure development, modernisation of agriculture, universal education and health care. But its absolute priority is peace. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~