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 123
11 - 17 May 2002


CONTENTS:

LIBERIA: Renewed fighting displaces 70,000
GUINEA: Refugees warn of potential massive influx
SIERRA LEONE: Ruling party leads in election race
MALI: Toure wins second round
GHANA: Parliament extends state of emergency
COTE D'IVOIRE: Alleged coup plotters in court
THE GAMBIA-SENEGAL: Refugees begin returning home
MAURITANIA: Lack of funds delays WFP emergency operation
NIGERIA: Ogoni clashes leave 15 dead
WEST AFRICA: Anti-child trafficking initiatives
AFRICA: Mali to host information society conference

LIBERIA: Renewed fighting displaces 70,000

At least 70,000 internally displaced people and their host communities in
the Liberian town of Gbarnga, 224 km north of the capital, Monrovia, fled
fighting between government troops and armed opposition fighters last
week, an inter-agency assessment mission reported on Thursday.

The fact-finding mission, composed of UN agencies, international NGOs, and
Liberian officials, visited the area to gather information on the fleeing
population and to assess immediate humanitarian needs. The mission visited
camps for the displaced at Phebe, 12 km before Gbarnga, Kakata 48 km and
Totota 50 km north of Monrovia.

Most of the population, however, could not be located due to the unstable
security situation in the area. The offices of Concern, Lutheran World
Federation, Save the Children, Oxfam, International Committee of Red Cross
and some local NGOs at Phebe had been looted, the mission reported.

The mission gathered that the population fled in three directions. Most of
the displaced in former camps around Phebe fled to Bondoi (10 km south)
and Totota, further south. A significant number fled eastwards towards
Ganta, reaching Sanakole and Lokatuwa in Nimba County, close to the
Guinean border. Others fled southeast, the mission said. Some 16,754
displaced people had been registered at Ganta.

At Bondoi temporary camp, most of the population were women and children.
There were no aid agencies assisting them. At Totota, overcrowding was
observed and some NGOs were assisting. In Kakata, the last food
distribution had been done three weeks earlier.

Meanwhile a humanitarian source in Monrovia said Gbarnga, which the armed
opposition fighters of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
(LURD) claimed to have taken last week, had been regained by government
troops.

The source also said a government check-point at Iron Gate, 5 km from
Monrovia on the main road to Sierra Leone, had been re-opened for
humanitarian workers. It had been closed after fighting was reported in
the towns of Klay and Arthington, 35 km and 25 km respectively from
Monrovia. Both were reported to be back in government hands.

LURD, who according to the government started fighting to overthrow it in
1999, have recently intensified their war against President Charles
Taylor.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned LURD on Wednesday for attempting
to take power by force, a statement issued in New York said. Annan called
for dialogue between the warring parties, and encouraged the West African
Economic Community (ECOWAS) to facilitate such a dialogue.

Human rights groups recently accused both the government troops and LURD
fighters of perpetrating rights abuses in the country.

New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) also condemned the Liberian
government on Tuesday for persecuting rights defenders, saying the
government has intensified its harassment and intimidation of the
independent press, civil society groups, and non-violent political
opposition groups.

The Liberian parliament on Friday extended the current state of emergency
for a further six months. It was introduced in February because of the
crisis in the country.

GUINEA: Refugees warn of potential massive influx

Liberian refugees who crossed over the border to Guinea's southeastern
province of Nzerekore at the beginning of the week warned that up to
10,000 more refugees could be on their way, UNHCR reported on Tuesday.

At least 3,500 Liberians fleeing fighting in Bong County between
government forces and armed fighters belonging to Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), arrived in Guinea on Monday. Guinean
local authorities said that Monday's influx, one of the largest single
refugee movements in years, crossed the border at Yomou, some 40 km
southwest of Nzerekore.

The refugees, mainly women, children and the elderly, were in "fairly good
physical condition, although still panic-stricken," UNHCR said. On a
recent visit to Macenta, northwest of Nzerekore, refugees told UNHCR that
many men had been conscripted by rebel forces as fighters or porters.

UNHCR travelled to the border areas on Wednesday to register new arrivals
and to distribute emergency aid.

Since the beginning of the year more than 27,000 Liberian refugees have
sought asylum in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Sierra Leone, UNHCR
said. Nearly 300 entered Cote d'Ivoire at the weekend close to the
southwestern border town of Danane.

SIERRA LEONE: Ruling party leads in election race

Vote counting continued on Friday after Tuesday's presidential and
parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone.

Preliminary partial results indicated that the ruling Sierra Leone
People's Party (SLPP) and its leader, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, had
taken the lead in both votes, news organisations reported. However
electoral officials said the overall trend could change when results came
in from other parts of the country.

If none of the presidential candidates obtain at least 55 percent of the
votes cast, a second round between the two frontrunners would take place
within two weeks.

International observers said that the elections, which saw a high,
peaceful turnout, were largely free and fair. EU observer, Johann van
Hecke, described the election as "almost a miracle" coming just five
months after the official end of a ten-year war between the now defunct
Revolutionary United Front and the government.

On the eve of voting, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the
elections describing them as "an important milestone" in the peace
process.

MALI: Toure wins second round

Former army general Amadou Toure won Mali's presidential election with
64.35 percent of the vote, an official from ministry of territorial
administration told IRIN on Friday. The other candidate, Soumaila Cisse
from the ruling Adema party, gained 35.65 percent.

The first round on 28 April took place amidst allegations of fraud and
vote-rigging. The Constitutional Court nullified over 500,000 of the
ballots cast.

More than 40 parties backed Toure in the second round including former
prime minister, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who came in third place in the
first round.

Toure was regarded by many Malians as a "saviour" for toppling military
ruler Moussa Traore in a 1991 coup. He then headed a transitional
government and relinquished power to outgoing President Alpha Konare in
multi-party elections in mid 1992.

GHANA: Parliament extends state of emergency

Ghana's parliament prolonged by another four weeks the state of emergency
imposed on the north of the country in late March to contain fighting
between neighbouring communities, local news organisations reported.

The 123 member parliament, which voted on Wednesday for the extension,
also reduced the curfew time by one hour. It now runs from 21:00 GMT to
5:00 GMT.

Fighting broke out on 25 March between neighbouring clans, the Andani and
the Abudu, of the Dagbon traditional area, Northern Region, over
celebrations of the area's annual Fire Festival. Dozens of people were
killed including the Paramount Chief, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani III.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Alleged coup plotters in court

The trial of armed men accused of attempting to overthrow Cote d'Ivoire's
government in early 2001 opened on Monday in the principal court in
Abidjan.

The first day concentrated mainly on procedures and exceptions to be
followed during the course of the trial, the pro-state newspaper
Fraternite-Matin reported. Lawyers for the defence called for General
Mathias Doue, the country's army chief of staff, to appear as a witness.

The 13 men who appeared in court on Monday were accused of taking part in
the 7-8 January coup attempt during which hundreds of armed men struck
simultaneously at the state-owned radio and television stations, the
country's largest gendarmerie camp and Gbagbo's home, Fraternite-Matin
reported. Two gendarmes were killed and several wounded during the unrest.

The trial of 28 alleged coup makers, is due to end on 24 June.

THE GAMBIA-SENEGAL: Refugees begin returning home

Senegalese refugees who fled clashes between government forces and armed
fighters in Casamance, and entered The Gambia began returning to their
home villages this week following a lull in the 12-day fighting.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on 10 May that The
Gambia had received an influx of some 2,000 Senegalese refugees fleeing
the fighting. The new arrivals, the refugee agency added, came from
Casamance after fleeing the area of Diouloulou, where the government sent
police forces as part of a mop-up operation against the Mouvement des
forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC).

Immigration officials in The Gambia reported that at least 9,000
Senegalese had entered the country last week.

The MFDC rebels have waged a separatist struggle since 1982. The latest
escalation in fighting came as Senegal prepared for municipal elections.

Fleeing refugees spoke of heavy aerial bombardment by Senegalese forces of
rebel positions, especially around Diouloulou, where rebels attacked a
delegation of ruling party politicians last week, prompting the current
army counter-offensive.

MAURITANIA: Lack of funds delays WFP emergency operation

More than a month after launching a US $7.5 million appeal for drought and
rain victims, the World Food Programme had not received sufficient
contributions to begin the emergency operation, WFP said on Tuesday.

WFP country director, Philippe Guyon-Le Bouffy, told IRIN from the
capital, Nouakchott, that Finland and Italy were the only two countries
that had so far responded to the appeal launched in early April. Finland
donated US $200,000 and Italy gave about $91,000 (100,000 euros), he said.
The operation, he said, which was slated to begin in April would not start
until the organisation received sufficient funds to purchase the necessary
aid items, including rice, salt and cooking oil.

NIGERIA: Ogoni clashes leave 15 dead

At least 15 people were killed and hundreds displaced in clashes between
two communities of the minority Ogoni ethnic group in Nigeria's southern
oil region, residents said on Tuesday.

Catholic Church officials said about 100 people who fled the clashes had
taken refuge at the main parish church in the nearby city of Port
Harcourt, where they were provided some relief assistance.

The clashes over ownership of parts of Bori, the main town of the 500,000
strong Ogoni in the Niger Delta, had the Yege and Lakpor communities
engaged in reprisal attacks during most of last week. Several houses were
also destroyed.

Armed policemen were deployed to the area to stop the violence and a
meeting of traditional rulers, community leaders and youth groups was
convened on Tuesday to mediate an end to the latest crisis in the area.

The Ogoni drew international attention with the emergence of the Movement
for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) in the early 1990s. Led by
writer and minority rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, MOSOP campaigned
against the environmental degradation of their land caused by the oil
activities of Royal/Dutch Shell.

Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists were hanged in 1995 on the orders of
late Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, over allegations of murder.

WEST AFRICA: Anti-child trafficking initiatives

Togo's office of the International Catholic Child Bureau launched a
three-year project on 10 May to combat child labour across the country.
Funded by a US $343,000 contribution from the French government, the
project aims to remove children under the age of 15 from the streets and
enrol them into schools. The organisation, in partnership with the
International Labour Organization, would also conduct information and
education campaigns targeting civil society, parents and others.

Meanwhile fifteen boys and girls aged between 11 and 18 years old were
repatriated to Benin four years after they were brought to Cote d'Ivoire
to work as under-age labourers on plantations, domestic workers and street
vendors, the Benin authorities told a news conference in Cotonou on
Monday.

Child trafficking in West Africa was acknowledged as a scourge in 1998 and
since then regional meetings have been held to discuss efforts to combat
it. Cote d'Ivoire and Mali signed a cooperation agreement in September
2000, while a similar agreement exists between Ghana, Togo, Benin and
Nigeria.

The governments of West and Central Africa are set to ratify a regional
convention against child trafficking in 2004.

During the 8-10 May UN Special Session on Children in New York, Rima
Salah, West Africa regional director of the UN Children's Fund, reported
that an estimated 200,000 children were trafficked in West and Central
Africa a year.

AFRICA: Mali to host information society conference

A regional conference to discuss African society in the information era is
due to take place in the Malian capital, Bamako, on 26-30 May, the UN
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), reported on Wednesday.

Bringing together representatives of African governments, UN agencies,
civil society and the private sector, the conference is part of
preparations for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS),
planned for 2003.

The Malian government, the International Telecommunication Union, and the
ECA are organising the regional "Bamako 2002" conference. Similar regional
preparatory conferences are expected to take place in Europe, Asia and
Latin America before the 2003 summit. Each will prepare a plan to address
key issues and suggest solutions to problems identified.


IRIN-WA
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Fax: +225 22-41-9339
Email: IRIN-WA@irin.ci

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


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