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

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WEST AFRICA
IRIN-WA Weekly Roundup 59
10-16 February 2001


CONTENTS:

LIBERIA: General mobilisation follows remarks by Guinean army chief
WEST AFRICA: UNHCR head visits subregion 
GUINEA: UNHCR recovers stocks from embattled town
SIERRA LEONE: RUF unhappy over postponement of elections
SIERRA LEONE: Modest economic recovery
GUINEA-BISSAU: Rights watchdogs say detention conditions appalling
GUINEA-BISSAU: Politicians, NGOs discuss new constitution
CHAD: Economy minister, presidential aide killed in plane crash 
GHANA: Kufuor promises reconciliation, press freedom
GHANA: Government aims to monitor arms manufacturers, importers 
NIGERIA: No pensions for former military rulers
NIGERIA: Abuja joins Sahel-Saharan community
NIGERIA: South Africa's Denel to take over defence firm
SENEGAL: Uncertainty in MFDC
SENEGAL: Wade dissolves parliament
COTE D'IVOIRE: Opposition leader charged
COTE D'IVOIRE: Minister promises results of inquiry into killings 
COTE D'IVOIRE: Rights group deplores abuses
BURKINA FASO: 67,000 flee Cote d'Ivoire
AFRICA: ICBL calls on states to implement landmine ban treaty
SAHEL: Nigeria, Niger seek end to herders, farmers clash
       
LIBERIA: General mobilisation follows remarks by Guinean army chief

The commanding general of the Liberian armed forces has called for a general
mobilisation following an escalation of the tension between Liberia and
Guinea.

"In defense of lives and properties and territorial integrity of our
sovereign nation, we hereby call upon all our regular and militia forces to
assemble at their regular posts and await further orders," Brigadier General
John Tarnue said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Tarnue was reacting to statements this week by Guinea's army chief, Col.
Kerfalla Camara. Accusing Liberia of harbouring dissidents who have been
attacking southern Guinea, Camara hinted that Conakry might retaliate. "If
we take the war to Liberia we could go a long way," he told Reuters news
agency.

Tarnue called this a "declaration of war". He said Liberia was calling for
an emergency meeting of the Economic Community of West African States and
the Mano River Union (which comprises Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) "to
address this matter before it goes completely out of hand".

Liberia, he said, also wanted UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint a
special representative to "intervene in this pending outbreak of hostilities
between the neighbouring countries".

WEST AFRICA: UNHCR head visits subregion 

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers this week visited Guinea,
Sierra Leone and Liberia, following the development in southwestern Guinea
of the world's worst refugee crisis.

Lubbers received commitments in the three countries that their governments
would cooperate with efforts to set up a humanitarian corridor to enable
refugees to leave the combat zone for safer areas. There were also
indications, he said, that Sierra Leone's rebels were willing to cooperate.

Lubbers arrived on Thursday in Cote d'Ivoire for meetings with
representatives of the UN, government and other sectors. He is scheduled to
travel to Mali on Sunday.

GUINEA: UNHCR recovers stocks from embattled town

UNHCR on Wednesday recovered jerry cans, blankets and 45 mt of food that had
been blocked in its Guekedou warehouse since insurgents attacked the
southwest Guinean town late in January, the UN refugee aid agency reported. 

"The food is destined for immediate distribution in some of the closer camps
in the Parrot's Beak region, security allowing," UNHCR reported. It said
refugees stranded in the Parrot's Beak were reluctant to walk to safer
ground for fear of harassment at military roadblocks and by armed bands.
However, UNHCR reported, "a few hundred per day" continued to arrive at the
burnt-out Nyaedou camp, 15 km north of Guekedou, and at Katkama, 15 km north
of Nyaedou.

Since 6 February, UNHCR has relocated more than 6,200 refugees from areas
close to the border to camps at Kountaya and Albadaria, much farther north. 

Meanwhile, the number of Sierra Leoneans who have returned home after
fleeing Guinea has risen to 48,000, of whom 35,000 travelled by boat from
Conakry to Freetown, UNHCR reported. 

SIERRA LEONE: RUF unhappy over postponement of elections

Sierra Leone's rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has again called on
President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to resign, BBC reported. The call came in
reaction to the approval by parliament on Tuesday of a governmental proposal
to postpone parliamentary and presidential elections by six months.

However, Sierra Leone's information minister, Julius Spencer, said on
Wednesday on the BBC that the polls were postponed "because the RUF has
refused to abide by the agreements reached".

Meanwhile, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) reported that the RUF
had returned weapons, communications equipment and nine vehicles it seized
in May 2000 from UN peacekeepers. The handover took place on Monday in
Makeni, 138 km northeast of Freetown, after a meeting on Monday between
UNAMSIL Force Commander Lt-Gen Daniel Opande and RUF interim leader Issa
Sesay. Sesay said six more UNAMSIL armoured personnel carriers were ready
for collection.

SIERRA LEONE: Modest economic recovery

Sierra Leone has achieved modest economic recovery after years of decline,
the International Monetary Fund said on Monday. It attributed the upturn to
factors such as improved management of the economy and strong financial
support from the international community. Gross domestic product rose by an
estimated 3.8 percent in 2000, it said. However, the momentum was slowed by
the limited implementation of the peace process.

GUINEA-BISSAU: Rights watchdogs say detention conditions appalling

Some 124 military and security officers are being held in "appalling
conditions" in Bissau, Amnesty International and local rights advocates
reported. "We know that at least 55 of them are seriously ill," an Amnesty
spokesperson said on Thursday. "One detainee has already died, and if the
government does not act urgently it is likely that more of them will die."

Similar calls were made earlier by the head of Guinea-Bissau's human rights
league.

The detainees were arrested in November 2000 for allegedly supporting
General Ansumane Mané, former leader of the disbanded Military Junta, who
challenged President Kumba Yala over military promotions. Mané was
subsequently shot and killed by soldiers loyal to the government.  
 
The detainees are being held in overcrowded cells with no running water,
inadequate sanitation and a poor diet, Amnesty said.

For further information see  http://www.amnesty.org/news/ .
 
GUINEA-BISSAU: Politicians, NGOs discuss new constitution

Representatives of political parties, civil society and the state
participated this week in a seminar aimed at helping them to reach a
consensus on a new constitution for Guinea-Bissau.

The constitution had been amended in parliament but not promulgated due to
disagreement over some of its provisions. One of its most disputed aspects
had to do with the relationship between the military and the government.
Another was an article limiting top state positions such as the posts of
president, prime minister, minister or ambassador to people of
Bissau-Guinean parentage. About half the population is said to be foreign, a
humanitarian source told IRIN  
  
CHAD: Economy minister, presidential aide killed in plane crash 

A Chadian government minister and the secretary-general in President Idriss
Deby's office were killed on Wednesday in a plane crash near the capital,
Ndjamena, news organisations reported. 

Deby's aide Abderamane Dadi and Economic Promotion and Development Minister
Ali Ahmed Lamine died when the private aircraft in which they were
travelling crashed near Kousseri, Cameroon, across the border from Ndjamena.

GHANA: Kufuor promises reconciliation, press freedom

Ghana's new president, John Kufuor, pledged on Thursday to set up a
reconciliation body to enable people to express their grievances with a view
to healing past wounds. He also promised to repeal a criminal libel law
against which journalists had been campaigning. "We shall expand the
boundaries of freedom of speech by repealing that law which criminalises
speech and expression," he said. "Set free, I have no doubt our media will
play their honourable role with a heightened sense of responsibility."
 
GHANA: Government aims to monitor arms manufacturers, importers 

Ghana is putting in place a mechanism to monitor the operations of local gun
manufacturers and importers in order to curb the proliferation of small
arms, the Ghana News Agency quoted Interior Minister Malik Yakubu as saying.
He said the effort to control the use of arms was in response to an upsurge
in violent crimes in the country. It is also part of an initiative by the
Economic Community of West African States to retrieve illegal weapons in
circulation in the region, he said.   

NIGERIA: No pensions for former military rulers

Nigeria's Senate voted on Thursday to exclude former military rulers from
retirement benefits due to ex-presidents on the grounds that they were not
elected, 'The Guardian' newspaper reported. Under the 1999 constitution,
promulgated by the country's last military ruler, General Abdulsalami
Abubakar, anyone who has held the office of president or vice-president is
entitled to a pension for life.
  
NIGERIA: Abuja joins Sahel-Saharan community

Nigeria was admitted to the Sahel-Saharan Community (Comessa) at a recent
summit of the regional organisation, held in Khartoum, Radio Nigeria
reported on Wednesday.

Comessa's aim is to contribute to overcoming the effects of drought and
desertification, resolving violent conflicts and fostering economic
development. Its other members are Burkina Faso, Central African Republic,
Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger and Sudan.
  
NIGERIA: South Africa's Denel to take over defence firm

Nigeria's military authorities are considering proposals by South African
weapons firm Denel Pty Limited to take over management of Defence Industries
Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) under a joint venture arrangement, a senior
Defence Ministry official told IRIN on Monday. The official said Denel
submitted proposals in December to turn around the ailing DICON and "Nigeria
is now giving final consideration to the plans put forward by Denel".
 
SENEGAL: Uncertainty in MFDC

Four top officials of the Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance
(MFDC), including spokesman Alexandre Djiba and military adviser Sidy Badji,
were stripped of their functions on 10 February by the MFDC leader, Rev.
Augustin Diamacoune. 

The reasons given were "incompetence and insubordination", Djiba told IRIN.
Although Diamacoune does not have the authority to remove officials, those
dismissed have abided by the decision so as not to create division, Djiba
said. 

Diamacoune's decision is to be submitted to the organisation's supreme
authority, the MFDC congress. Originally scheduled for 3-7 January, it was
postponed by Diamacoune to an unspecified date. The congress will also
decide on the position the MFDC will adopt during upcoming peace talks with
Senegal's government. The MFDC has been fighting since 1982 for independence
for Casamance, southern Senegal.  

SENEGAL: Wade dissolves parliament

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has dissolved the country's parliament
ahead of elections to be held on 29 April, 'Le Soleil' daily reported on
Friday. Under a new constitution approved by referendum in December, Wade
will rule by decree pending the election of a new legislature. A total of 61
political parties will be vying for the 120 seats in parliament.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Opposition leader charged

The secretary-general of the opposition Rassemblement des republicains
(RDR), Henriette Diabate, was charged on Wednesday with "threatening public
order,
destruction of property and rebellion", and "possession of arms without
administrative authorisation". Her indictment was linked to violent clashes
in December 2000 in Abidjan. 

COTE D'IVOIRE: Results of inquiry into killings expected soon, minister says

The results of an inquiry into mass killings in Cote d'Ivoire in October
2000 will be made public in the next few days, the daily 'Notre Voie' quoted
Justice Minister Oulai Siene as saying at a news conference on Tuesday. The
victims included about 57 people whose bodies were found behind a prison
just after three days of unrest that followed presidential polls on 22
October.
Siene also said the results of an investigation into an attempted coup on
7-8 January would not be available before mid-year.  
 
COTE D'IVOIRE: Rights group deplores abuses

The Ivorian human rights league, LIDHO, said in a statement on 9 February
that it deplored abuses perpetrated by security officials against foreigners
in Cote d'Ivoire. Members of all the security forces extort money from their
victims, "sometimes seize and even destroy identity documents" and subject
people to degrading treatment, LIDHO said. 

BURKINA FASO: 67,000 flee Cote d'Ivoire

A total of 67,512 returnees crossed over into Burkina Faso from Cote
d'Ivoire at a main border post, Yindere, between October 2000 and February
2001, the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) reported on Tuesday, quoting police
records. It said most of the returnees arrived destitute, blaming their
condition on harassment and extortion by Ivorian security agents.

Political unrest in Cote d'Ivoire in recent months has been accompanied by
the harassment of Burkinabe and other West African immigrants by Ivorian
youths and members of the security forces, rights groups and news
organisations have reported. 

AFRICA: ICBL calls on states to implement landmine ban treaty

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) has urged all African
countries to join and implement an international treaty banning
antipersonnel mines. The call came at a two-day regional meeting on
landmines in Bamako, Mali. Ten African countries have not signed the 1997
Mine Ban Treaty, according to the ICBL. Twelve have signed but not ratified
the treaty, which bans the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of
antipersonnel mines.  
The Bamako meeting was co-hosted by Canada, France and Mali. 

Further information on the treaty is available on the following website:
http://www.icbl.org/lm/factsheets/africa2001.php3

SAHEL: Nigeria, Niger seek end to herders, farmers clash

Jigawa State in northern Nigeria and Niamey Province in neighbouring Niger
are coordinating efforts to end frequent clashes between cattle herders and
farmers in their adjoining areas, a Lagos daily reported on Tuesday.

The 'Vanguard' reported Jigawa's commissioner for information, Babanna
Aujara, as saying that a delegation representing the state recently visited
Niamey for talks on ways to contain the clashes and ensure peace between
communities on both sides of the border.

Clashes between farmers and herders have grown frequent in the region in
recent years largely because increasing desertification has put greater
pressure on available pasture and water sources.  
 
Abidjan, 16 February 2001; 20:15 GMT


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