U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
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WEST AFRICA
IRIN-WA Weekly Roundup 153
14 - 20 December 2002


CONTENTS:

ABIDJAN, 20 December (IRIN) - CONTENTS:
COTE D'IVOIRE: Diplomacy coupled with military as crisis continues
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Obiang reelected amid fraud allegations
LIBERIA: Human rights activist charged with treason
AFRICA: WFP campaign against hunger
BENIN: UNICEF targets child and mother health

COTE D'IVOIRE: Diplomacy and military initiatives as crisis continues

Diplomacy and military initiatives were the highlights of this week in
Cote d'Ivoire as the crisis continued.

The week started with the deployment of some 200 French troops sent to
Cote d'Ivoire to reinforce the troops already on the ground who since late
October have been monitoring the ceasefire agreement. These 200 were part
of a 500-troop reinforcement announced by France. The remaining 300 are
due in the country next week. French officials said the mandate of its men
would also change from monitoring to enforcing the ceasefire which each
side has accused the other of violating. On Wednesday, the spokesman for
the defence ministry said that as many as 2,500 French soldiers could be
in Cote d'Ivoire by the end of the year.

On Monday, five West African heads of state met in the northern Togolese
town of Kara to take stock of the peace negotiations. The mini-summit,
attended by Senegalese President and the chairman of the regional
organisation Abdoulaye Wade, agreed to hold a second extraordinary summit
on the Ivorian crisis. First announced for Accra, the summit was held on
Wednesday in Dakar where the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) reaffirmed its commitment to the deployment of a West African
force. Already a few weeks behind schedule, the summit pledged to deploy
the force, strong of some 1,500 men, before December 31st.

Also on Wednesday, a new round of fighting broke in Man, western Cote
d'Ivoire. By Thursday morning, the town had fallen into the hands of one
of the new armed movement which last month emerged from that area. As at
Friday, the town was still under their control.

Western Cote d'Ivoire, which includes some key cocoa-producing towns such
Man, Daloa, has been the scene of fighting in recent times between the
Ivorian national army and one of the three rebel groups. The fighting has
restricted the work of relief workers, however OCHA, WFP and ACF (Action
contre la Faim) conducted on 14-15 December a rapid assessment in the
area. More than 16,000 people had been displaced in the area. The
International Community of the Red Cross said on Thursday that it had also
been able to reach the Daloa area.

In addition to the MPCI, the Mouvement pour la Justice et la Paix (MJP)
and the Mouvement Populaire Ivoirien pour le Grand Ouest (MPIGO) have also
enjoined in the conflict, claiming that their objective is to avenge the
death of General Guei.

For IRIN stories on Cote d'Ivoire please see
http://www.irinnews.org/frontpage.asp?SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=Cote_d_Ivoire

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Obiang reelected amid fraud allegations

Incumbent President Teodoro Obiang Nguema was reelected on Sunday to head
Equatorial Guinea for another seven years, amid accusations of fraud by
the opposition. In fact opposition candidates withdrew from the elections
citing severe flaws, such as intimidation and voters being forced to show
their ballots before putting them in the urns.

Nguema was reelected with more than 97 percent of the votes, the National
Electoral Commission reported. The commission also criticized the
opposition for withdrawing from the polls, saying it was
"anti-democratic".

A number of opposition politicians did not contest in the polls as some
are serving prison term as a result of a trial in which they were accused
of plotting to overthrow Nguema; others are living in exile.

One of the opposition parties, the Union for Democracy and Social
Development in Equatorial Guinea, on Tuesday called on France and the
organisation of French-speaking countries (Francophonie) to intervene to
solve the current socio-political impasse, which it said, is threatening
the stability of the West African nation.

For IRIN stories on Equatorial Guinea see:
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: President wins landslide but polls rejected by opposition
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31418&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=EQUATORIAL_GUINEA
http://www.irinnews.org/frontpage.asp?SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=Equatorial_Guinea

LIBERIA: Human rights activist charged with treason

Human rights activist Aloysius Toe on Monday was charged with treason in
Montserado County and was denied bail because his offense, according to
the judge, is not "bailable".

Toe was among several civilians who were arrested earlier this year for
their presumed opposition to the government or for being rights activists.
He had already spent several months in detention before being officially
charge. Journalist Hassan Bility, arrested in June, was released in early
December without ever being charged. Amnesty International, after Bility's
arrest, had urged the government to release all those still in detention.

AFRICA: WFP campaign against hunger

The World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday launched the Africa Hunger Alert
campaign which aims to gather financial support for the continent as it
battles with a number of hunger hotspots threatening the lives of some 38
million people.

Southern Africa, The Great Lakes Region, Sudan, Angola and West Africa all
face food shortages which have been exacerbated by shifting weather
patterns, HIV/AIDS, political turmoil and failed economic policies, WFP
said in a news release on Monday. In total, it is 38 million people who
could go hungry.

WFP Deputy Executive Director Jean-Jacques Graisse warned that, unless the
relief community receives massive response from governments, NGOs,
individuals and others, the continent could be hit with a humanitarian
catastrophe.

For more information see www.wfp.org/AfricaHungerAlert

BENIN: UNICEF targets child and mother health

UNICEF on Tuesday donated medical equipment worth some 614 millions FCFA
(US $ 962,000) to Benin's ministry of health to strengthen the
government's health programme geared toward child and maternal health. In
addition to all-terrain cars and motorbikes for the staff, donated items
included 300,000 impregnated mosquito nets; 50,000 'Alafia' pills.
Financed by the Canadian agency for International Development, the items
will target specifically the extended vaccination programme and the
programme against childhood diseases.


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