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WEST AFRICA
IRIN-WA Weekly Roundup 115
16 - 22 March 2002


CONTENTS:

LIBERIA: Thousands still need food, shelter
GUINEA-SIERRA LEONE: First repatriation convoy to use new land routes
SIERRA LEONE: Security Council calls for funding for ex-fighters
NIGERIA: Justice minister says Sharia against constitution
BURKINA FASO: Meningitis kills over 500, new strain present
GUINEA-BISSAU: Opposition parties back stability plan
COTE D'IVOIRE: Rights body condemns police tactics
SENEGAL: World Bank funds nutrition project
WEST AFRICA: Agreement to ratify child trafficking legislation
AFRICA: First Pan-African mental health conference

LIBERIA: Thousands still need food, shelter

Around 4,202 Liberians, who recently arrived at the Sinje refugee camp in
the west of the country, still need regular food aid and shelter material
after fleeing sounds of gunfire at Lofa Bridge, and Gbarma in Gbarpolu
County, a humanitarian official told IRIN on Friday.

The internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been unable to get
significant humanitarian assistance since arriving at Sinje between 28
February and 18 March, the source said. To make matters worse, departing
Sierra Leonean refugees, who had previously occupied the camp, took
tarpaulins with them on their return home.

However, the official said, the most vulnerable among the IDPs, the
elderly and children under four years, had received food aid from the NGO
Action Contre la Faim, and curative health care from the ICRC. The new
arrivals joined some 4,000 other Liberians who had earlier fled what they
presumed to be fighting between government troops and dissidents.

The BBC reported on Tuesday that "thousands of local people" had been
emerging from the bush in Gbarpolu County as government troops engaged
rebels in the area.

Humanitarian agencies met in Monrovia on Thursday to review the new
caseload at Sinje and verify the numbers, the official said. The
population at Sinje is unstable, the source added, "because some IDPs use
the camp as a transit stop to Sierra Leone, as refugees".

Meanwhile rival Liberian groups that met last week in the Nigerian
capital, Abuja, to prepare grounds for national reconciliation, called on
Saturday for a cease-fire in the fighting between President Charles
Taylor's government and the dissidents, Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).

In a communiqué issued at the end of the 15-16 March meeting, delegates
expressed regret at the absence of Taylor and LURD's representatives at
the talks held under the auspices of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), and urged future meetings to include all
stakeholders.

A separate document tabled at the talks and signed by 29 leaders of
political and civil society groups, including former presidents Amos
Sawyer and Ruth Perry, former rebel leader Alhaji Kromah and opposition
politician Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, raised what they considered key issues
"that must be addressed for effective reconciliation".

These included "the deployment of an international stabilisation force;
the restructuring of the national military and paramilitary forces; and
the creation of mechanisms to halt the culture of impunity".

Taylor has proposed a national reconciliation meeting in the Liberian
capital, Monrovia, in July.

GUINEA-SIERRA LEONE: First repatriation convoy to use new land routes

The first repatriation convoy of 500 Sierra Leonean returnees to use new
land routes from Guinea to Sierra Leone is expected to arrive on Saturday,
UNHCR spokesperson, Ron Redmond, said at Friday's press briefing in
Geneva.

The 151 refugee families, who left Boreah Camp in the Kissidougou area of
southwestern Guinea on Thursday, are bound for Port Loko some 62 km north
of the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, he said.

The convoy marks the first time UNHCR has returned refugees from Guinea by
land and follows a 15 March agreement with the Guinean authorities to open
four border crossings for repatriation. The UN refugee agency now plans to
organise twice-weekly convoys for up to 1,000 refugees, Redmond said.
Another 500 per week continue to return by sea in a programme that has
been running since December 2000. Around 15,000 refugees in Guinean camps
have registered for repatriation, UNHCR said.

Another 8,900 Sierra Leonean refugees in neighbouring Liberia have so far
returned home from camps around the capital, Monrovia, UNHCR said.

SIERRA LEONE: Security Council calls for funding for ex-fighters

The UN Security Council on Thursday called for more money for programmes
aimed at reintegrating some 47,000 former fighters into society, UN News
reported.

The appeal was made following a closed-door briefing by the head of the UN
Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Oluyemi Adeniji. He warned the Council
of the potential dangers of leaving thousands of young men with little to
do, waiting for the reintegration projects to begin. He said that there
was still a US $7 million shortfall for such projects and asked the
Council to bring this to the attention of donors.

The Council also welcomed the completion of disarmament and the progress
being made in the peace process in Sierra Leone. The Council reiterated
the need to extend governmental authority throughout the country and said
it would extend UNAMSIL's mandate for a further six months until the end
of September, as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended in his latest
report.

However, members expressed concern about the fragile situation in the Mano
River Union countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra, and looked forward to
the follow-up of the results of the recent summit, held in Morocco in
February, between the presidents of the three countries.

Earlier this week the Security Council authorised the establishment of the
Special Court in Sierra Leone for individuals accused of serious
violations of human rights during the country's 10-year civil war.

Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Ralph Zacklin said that
following the Council's approval, key personnel, including judges,
prosecutors and a registrar, would be appointed in the next couple of
weeks with a core group assembling in the Sierra Leonean capital,
Freetown, by the end of April at the latest.

The tribunal would be a new kind of criminal court, Zacklin said. It would
be made up of international and Sierra Leonean personnel appointed by the
Sierra Leonean government and the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. It
will operate on an "extremely lean budget", projected to be some US $60
million for three years and funded entirely by the voluntary contributions
of 15 to 20 donor countries, he added.

Zacklin led a two-week UN planning mission to Sierra Leone in January to
discuss with the government practical arrangements for the establishment
and operation of the court. The team released a report on 15 March which
indicated that it could be in place by the third quarter of this year.

The global watchdog Human Rights Watch, which has welcomed the proposed
establishment of the court, urged UN member states this week to contribute
adequate funds to allow it to start operating as soon as possible.

[The full HRW statement can be found at
http://hrw.org/press/2002/03/sleone0307-ltr.htm.]

However, the Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), a Sierra Leone civil
society group, has written to the Attorney General and Minister of
Justice, Solomon Berewa, expressing concern over draft legislation before
parliament to ratify the Special Court Agreement Act 2002. Among other
things, CGG said, it was worried about the lack of clarity over the roles
of the Special Court and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission expressed
in the draft bill.

Meanwhile, in preparation for forthcoming elections, the ruling Sierra
Leone People's Party (SLPP) formally nominated President Ahmad Tejan
Kabbah on Saturday as its presidential candidate. He was also re-elected
party leader. A national convention of the SLPP held in the southern town
of Bo, however, failed to endorse a candidate for vice-president, the BBC
reported.

Several other people intend to contest the presidency. Among them is
former civil society campaigner, Zainab Bangura, who in February
registered a new political party, the Movement for Progress, and the
former military junta leader, Johnny Paul Koroma, who ruled Sierra Leone
between May 1997 and February 1998.

The Revolutionary United Front Party - whose fighters gained notoriety
during the country's 10-year civil war for committing atrocities - is yet
to name its presidential candidate. The party's interim secretary-general,
Pallo Bangura, said the party would nominate its jailed leader, Foday
Sankoh.

NIGERIA: Justice minister says Sharia against constitution

Nigeria's federal government has declared the application of strict
Islamic or Sharia law unconstitutional and has asked states using the
legal system to modify it according to the provisions of the country's
constitution, according to a letter from Justice Minister and Attorney
General Kanu Godwin Agabi sent to state governors in Nigeria's
predominantly Muslim north.

Under Sharia law, the letter stated, Muslims were subjected to more severe
punishment than would be imposed on other Nigerians for the same offence
and equality before the law means that Muslims should not be discriminated
against.

A total of 12 of 19 states in Nigeria's northern region have in the past
two years extended the jurisdiction of Sharia law to criminal matters and
moral offences. Punishments prescribed under the new code include stoning
to death for adultery, amputation of limbs for stealing, and public
flogging for drinking of alcohol and premarital sex.

So far, the most controversial Sharia judgment in Nigeria has been a
sentence of death by stoning passed on Safiya Husseini Tunga-Tudu, 35, for
adultery in Sokoto State. A ruling on her appeal against the sentence is
fixed for Monday.

BURKINA FASO: Meningitis kills over 500, new strain present

Meningitis has killed 544 people out of 3,574 cases in Burkina Faso since
January a leading government health official, Dr. Jean Wango, said on
Wednesday. Officials said the high death rate was due to low levels of
vaccination.

The authorities are offering free vaccinations and health care for people
in the 13 worst hit health districts in Burkina Faso, while the World
Health Organisation (WHO) has said it would provide the government with
1.9 million doses of vaccines.

Officials also said that a new strain of the disease, the W135 meningitis
germ present in Saudi Arabia, has appeared in Burkina Faso, most likely
brought by pilgrims from Mecca in 2000. Vaccines to counter this strain
are not yet available in Burkina Faso where, officials said, till now only
meningitis forms A and C were present.

Meningitis is a viral or bacterial infection of the fluid in a person's
spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. In Africa, the disease
often surfaces during annual dry seasons when strong desert winds blow
south, raining in dust over the area.

GUINEA-BISSAU: Opposition parties back stability plan

Guinea-Bissau's two main opposition parties, the former ruling African
Party for Independence in Guinea and Cape Verde, and the Guinea-Bissau
Resistance party, have pledged to back a plan by Prime Minister Alamara
Nhasse to strengthen national unity by encouraging harmony among the
country's various ethnic groups.

The 30-page document, presented to parliament for debate on Wednesday,
includes calls for local elections this year and political, social and
economic dialogue among political parties and civil society
representatives, the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, reported.

Guinea-Bissau has lurched from one political crisis to another since an
army rebellion in June 1998, which finally led to the overthrow of
President Joao Bernardo Vieira. Since coming to power in 2000, the ruling
Social Renovation Party has been at odds with opposition groups with some
repeatedly calling for the resignation of the nation's president, Kumba
Yala.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Rights body condemns police tactics

Cote d'Ivoire's human rights league, LIDHO (French acronym), has condemned
the heavy-handedness used by security forces in their battle against
rising crime, saying the agents must respect human rights while carrying
out their duties.

In its declaration on Sunday, LIDHO said there had been an increase in
robberies on banks, stores and travellers, and murders throughout the
country creating "a climate of insecurity for nationals and foreigners
alike".

Meanwhile, the European Union announced on Monday that it has budgeted 264
million euros (about US $230 million) to aid Cote d'Ivoire, between now
and 2007. EU aid was restricted following the coup in December 1999 but
has been resumed gradually since legislative and presidential elections
took place in late 2000.

SENEGAL: World Bank funds nutrition project

The World Bank has approved US $14.7 million for a community nutrition
programme in Senegal that aims to reduce child mortality and improve
nutritional support to women, including those who are pregnant and
lactating, and young children in poor urban and rural areas.

The programme will also build institutional and organisational capacity to
carry out and evaluate nutrition interventions, the bank reported.

WEST AFRICA: Agreement to ratify child trafficking legislation

Regional governments and partner organisations in West Africa agreed on 15
March to ratify a convention against child trafficking in 2004. The
agreement was reached after a three-day meeting on cross-border
trafficking in Gabon's capital, Libreville.

Participants discussed a blueprint of the proposed regional agreement that
highlighted prevention, identification, repatriation and reintegration of
child victims into home countries and also set a three-phase agenda for
the convention. From April to June 2003, countries would hold technical
consultations to fine-tune the proposals and in July 2003 ministers would
adopt the final draft document. The final phase would be adoption in
December 2004, by a summit of heads of state.

An estimated 200,000 children are trafficked in West and Central Africa
every year, according to UNICEF.

Meanwhile in another regional development this week, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan appointed Ibrahima Fall as his Special Representative and head
of the new West Africa office, in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

AFRICA: First Pan-African mental health conference

At least 150 delegates attended the first continent-wide mental health
conference that opened on Monday in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Le
Soleil newspaper reported.

Psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, anthropologists, pharmacists, social
workers and other specialists from 50 countries in Africa, Europe, US and
Canada participated in the three-day meeting. They aimed to explore the
state of mental health on the continent, take steps to make existing
treatments more "visible" to Africans, and compile a register listing all
African mental health practitioners and their approaches to the treatment
of mental illness.


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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002


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