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 87
1-7 September 2001


CONTENTS:

SIERRA LEONE: Disarmament, presidents' visit
LIBERIA: Recognise country's needs, NGOs urge international community
LIBERIA: Political parties seek forum to discuss national problems
GUINEA: CRS gives farm tools to 2,873 households
COTE D'IVOIRE: WHO appeals for US $2.9 million against yellow fever
COTE D'IVOIRE: Integrating refugee children in schools
BURKINA FASO: Border security to be reinforced
GHANA: Red Cross provides aid to flood victims
GHANA: Many die in prison
NIGERIA: Government warns of possible volcanic eruption
NIGERIA: Victims of communal violence get new homes
NIGERIA: Government plans to help flood victims
NIGERIA: West African bishops say action needed against Sharia
NIGER: Anti-malaria campaign launched
NIGER: MSF airlifts food, other supplies
CHAD-CAMEROON: WHO says 116 have died from cholera
GUINEA-BISSAU: Attorney General dismissed
SENEGAL: Peacebuilding initiatives in Casamance
THE GAMBIA: Presidential guard commander jailed 16 years
THE GAMBIA: New foreign minister appointed

SIERRA LEONE: Disarmament, presidents' visit

Sierra Leone's government this week released 31 political prisoners,
including high-ranking members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), in
what Director of Information Priestly Bell told IRIN was part of efforts
to build confidence and maintain peace.

The prisoners released on 5 September included former RUF spokesman Eldred
Collins and Mike Lamin, who was a minister in the short-lived government
of national unity that followed a 1999 peace pact between the state and
the RUF.

Bell also told IRIN that presidential and legislative elections originally
scheduled for December 2001 would be held on 14 May 2002. The government
has rejected RUF and opposition calls for an interim government pending
the polls and RUF spokesman Gibril Massaquoi told BBC on Thursday that
this was one reason why his group boycotted tripartite talks in the
northern town of Makeni.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Oluyemi Adeniji,
expressed regret that Thursday's meeting of the Joint Committee on
Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration had to be cancelled because
of the RUF's decision not to attend. He said efforts to locate the RUF
leadership in Makeni had not been successful, the UN Mission in Sierra
Leone (UNAMSIL) reported on Thursday.

Another reason Massaquoi gave for not participating in this week's session
of the talks with the government and UNAMSIL was alleged ceasefire
violations by pro-government forces in the northern district of Koinadugu.

Koinadugu is one of two districts where ex-fighters are now disarming. The
other is Moyamba in the southwest. Under new regulations published this
week by the National Committee on Disarmament, Demobilisation and
Reintegration (NCDDR), ex-fighters may no longer disarm individually, but
must do so in groups of at least 10. Moreover, at least two-thirds of the
members of each group must hand in weapons, and not just ammunition.

The current disarmament process began in January. Up to 4 September,
17,242 ex-fighters had disarmed, according to UNAMSIL. The districts where
ex-fighters have disarmed so far are Kambia, Port Loko, Bonthe and Kono,
which President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and his counterparts from Nigeria,
Olusegun Obasanjo, and Mali, Alpha Konare, visited on Monday to assess the
disarmament process and build confidence among area residents.

Meanwhile, a licensed diamond exporting company in Sierra Leone, Stanton
Mineral Resources, has donated drugs, medical equipment and used clothing
worth US $3 million to residents of Kono, PANA reported. The gesture was
the first response to a plea for help made almost two weeks ago by the
head of the NCDDR, who called for a concentration of aid to the former
RUF-held area because its people had suffered greatly from the war.

LIBERIA: Recognise country's needs, NGOs urge international community

International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) have called on the
international community "to recognise that there is an ongoing crisis in
Liberia and the need for continued support to INGOs in emergency,
reconstruction, and development activities".

The "downturn in humanitarian aid for development and reconstruction in
Liberia is having a serious and negative impact on the most vulnerable
elements of the county's population," said the 17 INGOs. A recent upsurge
of fighting between pro- and anti-government forces in the northern
Liberian county of Lofa "has demanded a new emergency response", they said
in a statement dated 30 August.

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) registered since March
2001 amounts to 35,137, while another 12,000 Liberians were registered by
UNHCR in eastern Sierra Leone and 4,563 in Cote d'Ivoire, the
organisations said. They added that IDPs were continuing to move through
Gbarpolu County, immediately south of Lofa.

Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) said fighting last week in Gbarpolu between
pro- and anti-government forces in northwestern Liberia had caused further
population displacement, and forced MSF and other humanitarian
organisations to evacuate their expatriate staff from the nearby Jennemana
IDP camp.

The INGOs said a sharp reduction in donor support since January 2000 had
directly affected the support they provide to vulnerable people in
Liberia. They added that most of them would not have enough resources to
maintain current programming in either reconstruction and development or
emergency response beyond 31 December 2001.

The organisations called on international donors to reassess their
positions on humanitarian assistance in Liberia, since "human suffering is
on the increase". MSF, for example, found during a visit north of
Jennemana Camp by one of its teams that 49 percent of the people there
were malnourished while 6 percent suffered from acute malnutrition.

LIBERIA: Political parties seek forum to discuss national problems

Leaders of six Liberian political parties and a civil organisation say
they are in favour of a meeting of national leaders aimed at halting the
declining security, political, economic and social situations in the
country.

They said in a statement issued on 2 September at the end of a three-day
consultative meeting in Abidjan, that they hoped to solve these and other
problems in a National Political and Civic Leadership Forum.

Despite a peace accord that ended a 1989-1996 war between Liberian
factions and elections in 1997, insecurity has continued to plague
Liberia: there has been fighting between pro-government forces and armed
dissidents since 1999 in the north and northwest of the country.

Parties and organisations represented at the Abidjan meeting said they
were "against the use of armed means" to seek change. The agenda for the
proposed forum, they agreed, should include security issues, the electoral
process, the media, the judiciary, national reconciliation and capacity
building and the strengthening of political parties and civil society
bodies.

Among the leaders at the Abidjan conclave was Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, head
of the Unity Party. Other parties represented were the All Liberia
Coalition Party, Liberia Action Party, Free Democratic Party, True Whig
Party of Liberia and United People's Party. Civil society was represented
by Conmany Wesseh, executive director of the Center for Democracy
Empowerment.

GUINEA: CRS gives farm tools to 2,873 households

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has distributed seed rice and farming tools
to 2,873 households in the southeastern Guinean towns of Kissidougou and
Guekedou. The aid is part of a US $75,000 effort launched in July to
improve food security for thousands of formerly displaced people, CRS
reported on Tuesday. This operation is to be complemented by another
funded by the USAID's Office of Foreign Assistance which is to distribute
simple agricultural tools to another 5,000 people in the area, CRS said.

COTE D'IVOIRE: WHO appeals for US $2.9 million against yellow fever

The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed for US $2.9 million to
fight "a potentially disastrous outbreak of yellow fever in Abidjan", Côte
d'Ivoire. The money is to be used for an immunisation campaign that
requires some three million doses of vaccine.

There have been 20 suspected cases of yellow fever in Abidjan - including
four deaths - and six have been confirmed. Suspected cases have also been
reported elsewhere in the country, according to WHO, which said
"indications are that the real situation could be considerably more
serious than the number of cases officially suggests".

COTE D'IVOIRE: Integrating refugee children in schools

Enrolling some 20,000 refugee children in schools in western Cote d'Ivoire
is the aim of an agreement signed on Friday by representatives of the
government, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, the state body in charge of refugee
affairs reported. The agreement is initially for two school years and is
renewable, depending on funding, the Refugee Aid and Assistance Office
(SAARA - Service d'aide et d'assistance aux refugies et personnes
apatrides) said. It would allow them to enrol in Ivorian schools during
the coming academic year, which starts on 17 September.

BURKINA FASO: Border security to be reinforced

Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore has ordered the deployment of
extra troops on its borders to enhance national security, the head of the
army information unit, who declined to be named, told IRIN on Thursday. He
did not say how many men would be needed for the task.

Burkina Faso had an army of 5,600 in 1999. Army chief of staff Colonel Ali
Traore said in an interview published on Tuesday in the state media that a
unit would be sent to Banfora, on the border with Cote d'Ivoire. The
decision followed an announcement by Cote d'Ivoire's government in August
that it would form three more army battalions to safeguard all its
borders.

Tension between Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire surfaced in November 1999
when a land dispute in southwestern Cote d'Ivoire between Burkinabe
settlers and members of the indigenous Kru population resulted in two
deaths and the displacement of thousands of Burkinabe plantation workers
from the area. Since then there have been similar incidents on a smaller
scale in southwestern Cote d'Ivoire.

GHANA: Red Cross provides aid to flood victims

Red Cross volunteers in Ghana's Upper East Region donated their entire
emergency stock of 40 blankets to victims of rain-induced floods in the
northern town of Bolgatanga, the society's national coordinator for
disaster relief and preparedness, Sullay Sumani, told IRIN on Wednesday. A
Red Cross team went to Bolgatanga this week to assess the number of people
needing help, property damage and the amount of aid required. Emergency
teams of Red Cross volunteers also provided first aid.

GHANA: Many die in prison

A total of 106 inmates died last year of various diseases in Ghana's
prisons, according to the 2000 Annual Report of the Ghana Prisons Service,
quoted by local media. HIV was the biggest killer, claiming 20 lives,
followed by other ailments including diarrhoea, pneumonia, anaemia,
hypertension and asthma. The report said inadequate state funding had
caused prison conditions to deteriorate in recent years.

NIGERIA: Government warns of possible volcanic eruption

Nigerian Information Minister Jerry Gana warned on Wednesday that a
4,100-metre-high volcano in Cameroon could erupt soon and pose a serious
health hazard to Nigerian border communities, news organisations reported.
He told reporters in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, that scientific studies
had shown that Mount Cameroon could erupt again this year.

Nigeria's government is worried that toxic gases could contaminate water
supplies and the air in the border areas and has set up a commission to
review possible environmental effects. The government has ordered three
states bordering Cameroon - Cross River, Benue and Taraba - to alert their
populations and take precautions. Mount Cameroon last erupted in April
1999.

NIGERIA: Victims of communal violence get new homes

The Ondo State government has built at least 246 homes for victims of
communal clashes between Ilaje and Arogbo-Ijaw in the riverine area of the
state, 'The Guardian' reported on Thursday.

NIGERIA: Government plans to help flood victims

Nigeria's government and Red Cross have been moving to help people
displaced by floods in northern Nigeria, the head of the National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

Dozens of people were reported dead while thousands were displaced in
floods that swept through Kano State and neighbouring Jigawa in late
August after water released from two swollen dams caused the rivers Kano
and Hadejia to overflow. Scores of villages and farmland were flooded.

NEMA Director-General Remi Olowu told IRIN on Wednesday that NEMA had so
far counted 15,000 displaced people in Kano. Nigerian Red Cross
spokesperson Abiodun Orebiyi told IRIN pending new information from Red
Cross field officers that his organisation's tally was over 48,000 IDPs
and 20 deaths. He said the Red Cross had provided emergency assistance to
victims in Kano and was assessing emergency needs in Jigawa.

NIGERIA: West African bishops say action needed against Sharia

Bishops from English-speaking countries in West Africa have told Nigeria's
government it must act now against the imposition of Islamic law in
northern parts of the country before existing tensions deteriorate into a
Muslim-Christian conflict and spill over into other states of the
subregion.

In a communiqué issued on 30 August at the end of their ninth Plenary
Assembly, the Association of Episcopal Conference of Anglophone West
Africa said: "We urge the government of Nigeria to heed the loud and just
opposition of the Nigerian Christians and others to the imposition ... of
Sharia as state law."

Since late 1999, 10 states have enforced Sharia in northern Nigeria.

NIGER: Anti-malaria campaign launched

Niger's government has launched a national campaign aimed at reducing the
incidence and impact of malaria in the country, which records an average
of 850,000 cases per year, PANA quoted acting Health Minister Ari Ibrahim
as saying at the launch on Monday. The campaign is part of 'Roll Back
Malaria', a multisectoral initiative launched in 1998 by the World Health
Organization to eliminate the disease.

NIGER: MSF airlifts food, other suppplies

Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) says it sent 37 mt of medicines, special
food supplies and other materials this week to Niger, where food shortages
induced by drought have affected hundreds of thousands of people this
year.

More than 600 children have already been admitted to two therapeutic
feeding centres that MSF opened at the end of July at hospitals in the
towns of Maradi and Dakoro so as to alleviate a deteriorating nutritional
situation.

CHAD-CAMEROON: WHO says 116 have died from cholera

The World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that 113 people had
died of cholera in southwest Chad up to 4 September. They were among 3,557
cases registered since the disease broke out in June. The Chadian Health
Ministry, WHO and Medecins sans Frontieres are monitoring the outbreak. In
neighbouring Cameroon, 158 cases have been reported, three of them fatal,
WHO said.

GUINEA-BISSAU: Attorney-General dismissed

Guinea-Bissau President Kumba Yala on Thursday dismissed Attorney-General
Rui Sanha, replacing him with former prime minister Caetano Intchama, who
had hitherto been head of the country's Internal Audit Board.

The move came as Guinea-Bissau's bar association accused Yala, in an open
letter published in the press, of interfering in the affairs of the
judiciary. Two weeks earlier, Yala had termed its members corrupt and
incompetent.

No explanation was given for the dismissal of Sanha, the third member of
the ruling Social Renovation Party (PRS- Partido da Renovacao Social) to
have lost his post in recent weeks. The others include former presidential
adviser on social and religious affairs, Ibrahima Sory Djalo, who quit his
post following Yala's decision to expel the Ahmadiyya Islamic group from
the country. A court overturned that decision.

Ex-interior minister Artur Sanha was dropped from the cabinet last week
following the death of a woman with whom he reportedly had a relationship.
His dismissal followed calls to that effect from human rights advocates.

SENEGAL: Peacebuilding initiatives in Casamance

A three-year project designed to help the Casamance region of southern
Senegal recover from nearly 20 years of civil conflict is well underway,
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) reported.

The Casamance Rehabilitation and Peace-building Project, started last year
and due to end in 2003, has already created 47 village banks for women's
associations, promoted sesame as a cash crop in over 600 villages, helped
build houses for 181 former IDPs and strengthened grassroot capacity for
peace-building.

According to CRS, the project, financed by a US $2.3-million grant from
USAID and implemented through local partners, aims to facilitate the
transition from conflict to peace for returnees and others in the area.
The Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC - Mouvement des
forces democratiques de Casamance) has been fighting since 1982 for
self-government for Casamance.

THE GAMBIA: Presidential guard commander jailed 16 years

A Court martial has sentenced the ex-commander of The Gambia's
presidential guard, Lieutenant Landing Sanneh, to 16 years in prison with
hard labour. The court convicted Sanneh on Friday of plotting to overthrow
the government in January 2000, 'The Independent', a Banjul daily,
reported on Monday.

THE GAMBIA: New foreign minister appointed

Gambian president Yahya Jammeh has appointed Bubacar Blaise Jagne
secretary of state for foreign affairs. Jagne, hitherto The Gambia's
permanent representative to the United Nations, had served as foreign
minister in 1995 and 1996. He was appointed on 30 August. Jagne replaces
Sedate Jobe, who resigned days earlier for reasons that have not been made
public. Local media reported that his resignation stemmed from
disagreement with the expulsion of Deputy British High Commissioner Bharat
Joshi for attending an opposition meeting. Jobe was abroad at the time of
the expulsion.

Abidjan, 7 September 2001; 17:55 GMT


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