U N I T E D N A T I O N S Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa Tel: +225 22-40-4440 Fax: +225 22-41-9339 e-mail: irin-wa@irin.ciWEST AFRICA IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 30 22 to 28 July 2000
CONTENTS SIERRA LEONE: Government welcomes US draft resolution SIERRA LEONE: Not enough food for Daru's IDPs SIERRA LEONE: Freetown tightens security SIERRA LEONE: Over 1,000 ex-fighters undergoing training SIERRA LEONE: EU proposes ban on rough diamonds SIERRA LEONE: Lassa fever fatality rate doubles SIERRA LEONE: Youth empowerment project launched SIERRA LEONE: Schools to be rehabilitated SIERRA LEONE: Ammunition cache found SIERRA LEONE: ICRC distributes aid to thousands SIERRA LEONE: Nearly 1,000 recruits graduate LIBERIA: President says 35,000 IDPs in Lofa County COTE D'IVOIRE: Overwhelming support for new constitution MALI: Bill relaxing eligibility requirements approved MALI: Joint transport services with Algeria BURKINA FASO: Municipal elections on 24 September TOGO: Independent electoral commission set to take off NIGERIA: Oil communities appeal for help NIGERIA: Senate president under investigation NIGERIA: War wounded threaten suicide NIGERIA-NIGER: Joint fight against bandits GUINEA-BISSAU: Lisbon appeals for support to Bissau GABON: Government calls for help to deal with oil slick WESTERN SAHARA: Security Council extends UN mission SIERRA LEONE: Government welcomes US draft resolution Sierra Leone's government has welcomed a draft UN Security Council resolution that calls for the establishment of an international tribunal to try people accused of committing crimes against humanity. "We're pleased with it as it shows cooperation and collaboration between the international community and our government," presidential spokesman Septimus Kaikai told IRIN on Friday. The US-sponsored draft resolution recommends that the special court should operate under both Sierra Leonean and international humanitarian law. SIERRA LEONE: Not enough food for Daru's IDPs An inter-agency team that visited Daru on 21 July estimated the new internally displaced persons in and near the east Sierra Leonean town at 5,500, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. One major concern is a food shortage caused by the inaccessibility of the Kenema-Daru road. Rice, if and when available, has doubled in price, OCHA said. WFP, it added, intended to assess the food situation there soon. The inter-agency team included representatives from the International Medical Corps, International Committee of the Red Cross, Save the Children Fund, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Oxfam, OCHA reported. Meanwhile, the number of patients at the IMC clinic in Daru more than doubled following the operation on 15 July in which UN peacekeepers were freed from RUF rebels who have encircled them, OCHA reported. In response to the situation, IMC opened a temporary clinic in Malema, close to Daru, and 1,473 patients were attended to in five days. Most were treated for malaria and acute respiratory infections. Some cases of diarrhoea were treated but a major outbreak has not been observed so far. Only two people with bullet wounds were treated, OCHA reported. SIERRA LEONE: Freetown tightens security UN troops on Monday arrested three people, thought to be members of the 'West Side Boys', a group made up mainly of former Sierra Leone Army (ex-SLA) soldiers. UN spokeswoman Hirut Befecadu said in Freetown that a woman wearing a military uniform had also been arrested and handed over to the Sierra Leone authorities. The arrests came as UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) troops beefed up patrols around the capital. However, the road connecting Freetown to the provinces was closed to traffic after the 'West Side Boys' ambushed two state-owned buses between Mile 38 and Masiaka, wounding two passengers, Sierra Leone Web reported. The ambush came just two days after UNAMSIL cleared the Freetown-Lungi road of unauthorised checkpoints set up by the militiamen who, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, had been planning to attack UNAMSIL troops. "Basically, we are going to remain vigilant," Annan said on Monday. "Anyone who attempts to attack the peacekeepers would know that they will defend themselves and that there will be a price to pay." Befecadu said on Tuesday that UNAMSIL was intensifying its patrols along the highway while negotiating with the West Side Boys to ensure free movement. The militiamen have been accused of harassing civilians at illegal roadblocks. SIERRA LEONE: Over 1,000 ex-fighters undergoing training At least 1,000 former combatants who have completed the disarmament and demobilisation process are now participating in six training and employment projects, Sierra Leone's National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (NCDDR) reported on 26 July. Some 150 ex-fighters are involved in a six-month vocational skills project; 12 others are participating in a beach-development initiative and another 90 are involved in a road improvement programme. The other projects include small enterprise development and training in the production of local building materials, the NCDDR reported. SIERRA LEONE: EU proposes ban on rough diamonds The European Commission proposed new regulations on Wednesday that would ban Europe's importation of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone in line with a resolution the UN Security Council adopted earlier in July, the EU said on Wednesday. Violators of the proposal, which has to be approved by the EU Council of Ministers, would be punished, it said. The Security Council has imposed an 18-month ban on the trade in uncertified rough diamonds from Sierra Leone so as to stop the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels from funding their activities with proceeds from their sale. SIERRA LEONE: Lassa fever fatality rate doubles Medical Emergency Relief International (MERLIN) has reported that deaths from Lassa fever in the eastern district of Kenema have doubled since January, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its situation report for 10-24 July. The fatality rate has risen from 15 percent since January to 30 percent in June/July and three out of 10 new admissions last week died of the disease. MERLIN attributes this to a lack of outreach services in insecure areas, OCHA reported. SIERRA LEONE: Youth empowerment project launched The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Action Aid Sierra Leone, an NGO, have agreed on a plan to encourage youths to be more pro-active in improving their welfare and so become responsible citizens, UNICEF said in its 18-25 July situation report. The project will include activities such as peace and human rights promotion, technical/vocational skills training and human reproductive health (particularly HIV/AIDS) education. It aims to benefit some 4,300 youths in Freetown, the town of Mile 91 to the east of the capital, and Bo and Kenema in the southeast of the country, UNICEF reported. SIERRA LEONE: Schools to be rehabilitated UNICEF and World Vision, an NGO, have agreed to rehabilitate 20 schools and implement a rapid response education programme in the Southern Province town of Bonthe. At least 7,000 children are expected to benefit by the end of the year, according to UNICEF. SIERRA LEONE: Ammunition cache found UNAMSIL discovered 2,300 rounds of ammunition buried underground at Lungi International Airport, north of Freetown, on 22 July during a routine patrol, UNAMSIL reported. Meanwhile, a disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) spokesman in Freetown told IRIN on Monday that some 44 former combatants, mostly children, handed in their weapons to UNAMSIL in the eastern town of Daru on Sunday and Monday. SIERRA LEONE: ICRC distributes aid to thousands The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sierra Leone Red Cross (SLRC) started distributing shelter and material assistance to 19,042 newly displaced people on 22 July, the ICRC said in its latest update. The beneficiaries, some 2,642 families, were registered by the ICRC/SLRC team along the Ronieta-Yonibana axis (southwest of Mile 91, some 144 km east of the capital Freetown). SIERRA LEONE: Nearly 1,000 recruits graduate Some 986 Sierra Leonean soldiers graduated on 22 July from an intensive six-week training course conducted by 200 British troops, presidential spokesman Septimus Kaikai told IRIN. A second batch of over 200 British troops arrived in Sierra Leone last weekend to train a further 1,000 recruits, SLW reported. LIBERIA: President says 35,000 IDPs in Lofa County At least 35,000 people have fled their homes in Liberia's upper Lofa Country after three weeks of fighting between government and dissident forces, AFP reported, quoting President Charles Taylor. He said Sierra Leonean refugees were among the displaced. The agency quoted Defence Minister Daniel Chea as saying the displaced had been regrouped in the towns of Kolahun and Foya, in Lofa. Information Minister Joe Mulbah said on Thursday that Voinjama, the administrative capital of Lofa, had been devastated by fire. AFP quoted him as saying the fires started after government forces launched their drive against dissidents in the town. It was unclear whether the fires were the result of a deliberate scorched earth policy by the dissidents, a diplomat in Monrovia told IRIN on Friday. Meanwhile, Moses Blah was sworn in on Monday as Liberia's 28th vice-president. Taylor recently named Blah, 53, to the post following the death of his predecessor, Enoch Dogolea, on 23 June. COTE D'IVOIRE: Overwhelming support for new constitution Some 86.75 percent of voters approved the draft of a new constitution for Cote d'Ivoire at a referendum held on 23-24 July, Interior Minister Mouassi Grena announced on Tuesday. Voter participation rate was 56 percent, he said. Among other things, the new constitution limits presidents to two five-year terms, lowers the voting age to 18 and guarantees immunity from prosecution for the ruling Conseil National de Salut Public and participants in the December 1999 coup that brought it to power. However, much more attention has been paid to provisions stipulating that presidential candidates must be of Ivorian parentage and must never have had another nationality, which would appear to eliminate Rassemblement des republicains (RDR) leader Alassane Ouattara. Meanwhile, French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin said on Tuesday that the French government noted with satisfaction that the referendum had taken place in conditions that were "generally satisfactory" but that it was important for "each of the parties to participate without any artificial exclusion" in the polls. "We hope that the decisions that will be taken when the candidatures for the presidential elections are submitted cannot be interpreted as aimed at depriving the electors of their freedom of choice," he added. Hundreds of Ivoirians protested against his remarks - which they described as interference in Cote d'Ivoire's internal affairs - by staging a sit-in on Thursday and Friday in front of the French embassy in Abidjan. MALI: Bill relaxing eligibility requirements approved Mali's parliament has adopted a bill allowing anyone who is a Malian citizen to run for president, Radio France Inter (RFI) reported on Monday. Previously, the presidency was limited to born Malians, according to the radio station, which said the bill, co-sponsored by President Alpha Konare, was adopted at an extraordinary session of the national assembly at the weekend. MALI: Joint transport services with Algeria Algeria vowed on Tuesday to speed up ratification of a deal with Mali to set up joint road and transport services, PANA reported. The commitment by Algerian Transport Minister Hamid Lanaouci was the result of a visit he paid to Mali last week, PANA reported citing a communique released on Tuesday. The two countries agreed that their chambers of commerce would meet regularly so as to encourage cooperation between their private transport operators. They also agreed on direct air links with traffic rights between their capitals. BURKINA FASO: Municipal elections on 24 September Burkina Faso is to hold municipal elections on 24 September, according to a presidential decree issued in Ouagadougou on Thursday, PANA reported. The election had been postponed twice, obliging the national assembly to set up a special team to run the town councils, PANA added. TOGO: Independent electoral commission set to take off Opposition lawyer Ahoomey Zounon was designated chairman of Togo's independent electoral commission on Saturday, ending a deadlock that had paralysed the institution, set up in early July to help end a prolonged political crisis in the West African nation. The crisis is centred around presidential elections held in mid-1998, which the opposition said were rigged. NIGERIA: Oil communities appeal for help Eleven communities in southeastern Nigeria have called on humanitarian agencies, the federal authorities and state governments to send urgent relief aid to survivors of an oil pipeline fire that occurred in early July in the Delta State. The spokesman of the oil communities, Peter Ebireri, told reporters on Wednesday in the town of Warri that they needed portable water, drugs, medical teams, and health centres. According to 'The Guardian' newspaper, he said 312 people died in the inferno, which also destroyed plantations. The communities put the damage at the equivalent of US $48 million. Another pipeline fire occurred in the Niger Delta on Monday, local and international media reported. Quoting the state-owned 'Daily Times' newspaper, AFP said at least 40 people died in the fire near the town of Sapele, the third such disaster in the Delta in July. NIGERIA: Senate president under investigation Senate President Chuba Okadigbo agreed on Wednesday to testify in camera before a committee investigating allegations of widespread corruption among Nigeria's senators, according to news reports. Okadigbo and his deputy, Haruna Abubakar, are accused of "mishandling public funds and running a system of kickbacks" in awarding contracts at the assembly, AFP reported. NIGERIA: War wounded threaten suicide Wounded Nigerian troops who served with the West African peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, have threatened mass suicide if the Nigerian authorities fail to send them overseas for advanced medical treatment, the `Post Express' newspaper reported on Monday. The 100 soldiers were wounded during ECOMOG's campaign in Sierra Leone and Liberia between 1990 and 1999, the newspaper said. Some patients have bullet particles in their bodies and others have had their legs amputated but need final treatment abroad. NIGERIA-NIGER: Joint fight against bandits Jigawa State in northern Nigeria and the neighbouring province of Zinder in southern Niger have agreed to take joint measures against armed bandits and drug traffickers who operate on both sides of their border, 'The Guardian' newspaper in Lagos reported on Monday. Jigawa Governor Saminu Turaki and Aliyu Forka, prefect of Zinder, said in a communique that they had resolved to strengthen security within their borders and improve interaction, dialogue, communication and cooperation between their security agents. GUINEA-BISSAU: Lisbon appeals for support to Bissau Portugal has urged the international community to support the Guinea-Bissau government's attempt to kick start its economy, still suffering the effects of an 11-month military revolt that ended in May 1999, LUSA reported on Wednesday. Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama made the appeal in Bissau on Wednesday when he arrived for a two-day visit during which he was scheduled to sign a US $40 million bilateral aid package. LUSA said the accord would cover investment aid earmarked for consolidating peace, promoting human rights, education, health and the rehabilitation of social infrastructure destroyed during the military uprising. GABON: Government calls for help to deal with oil slick Gabon appealed on Wednesday for international help to remove a Greek-owned cargo ship that sank during bad weather 18 km from the capital, Libreville. Gabonese Prime Minister Jean-Francois Ntoutoume Emane called on the European Union, United States, Russia, Japan and China to help move the vessel, The Peter, which Dutch salvage experts said would cost US $1.4 million, news organisations reported. The vessel was carrying 400 mt of fuel. WESTERN SAHARA: Security Council extends UN mission The UN Security Council approved on Tuesday a three-month extension to 31 October of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the world body said. "The Council took its decision with the expectation that Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) would meet in direct talks," the UN said. IRIN-ASIA: Note to subscribers IRIN will shortly be launching a new service focusing on Afghanistan and central Asia. If you wish to subscribe to IRIN-Asia's reports, please send an e-mail to irin@ocha.unon.org Abidjan, 28 July 2000; 19:55 GMT [IRIN-WA: Tel: +225 22-40-4440; Fax (Admin): +225 22-40-4435; Fax (Editorial Desk): +225-22-41-9339; e-mail: irin-wa@irin.ci] [This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. 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