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

Tel: +225 22-40-4440
Fax: +225 22-41-9339
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WEST AFRICA
IRIN-WA Weekly Roundup 166
08 - 14 March 2003


CONTENTS:

WEST AFRICA: Two million face serious food shortages
SIERRA LEONE: Special Court to commence hearings
COTE D'IVOIRE: New government meets minus rebels, opposition party
LIBERIA: Annan urges government to bring perpetrators to justice
GUINEA-BISSAU: Worrisome pattern of press freedom
NIGER: Renewable energy promotion
GHANA: Dagbon crisis has adverse effects
BURKINA FASO: Returnees top 150,000 mark 
NIGERIA: Food security agreement
MALI: Debt relief


WEST AFRICA: Two million face serious food shortages

At least two million people in Cape Verde, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania
and Senegal face serious food shortages, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. Renewing its appeal for funds for
emergency projects in the five countries, FAO said drought, poor harvests
and political instability in Côte d'Ivoire had combined to leave many
people in the region in need of urgent food assistance. So far, a joint
FAO and World Food Programme appeal launched in December for $28 million
had received only 23 percent of the funding requested.

"A series of factors have created a situation where people who were
normally self-sufficient and could buy their own food can no longer do
so," Anne M. Bauer, FAO's director for emergency operations and
rehabilitation, said. A total cereal deficit of 611,350 mt was
anticipated. The affected include 360,000 people in The Gambia, 600,000 in
Mauritania and 130,000 in Mali.

For the full story go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32825&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=WEST_AFRICA


SIERRA LEONE: Special Court to commence hearings

The Special Court for Sierra Leone indicted seven people on Monday for
crimes committed against humanity during the country's 10-year civil war
that ended in 2002. Four of them were due to appear for initial hearings
on Saturday in the capital, Freetown. They include Foday Saybana Sankoh,
ex-head of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Issa Hassan Sesay,
Alex Tamba Brima and Morris Kallon, all ex-RUF officials. Others were Sam
Hinga Norman, the current minister of internal affairs, Johnny Paul
Koroma, leader of the ruling military junta in 1997-1998 and ex-rebel
commander Sam Bockarie.

"This is a very important step in bringing those who committed atrocities
with impunity in Sierra Leone in the last decade to justice," Chief Press
and Public Affairs Officer David Hecht told IRIN. The Court was created
through an agreement between the UN and the government of Sierra Leone.

In a related development, the UN Special Representative for Children and
Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, urged the international community not to
shift attention away from Sierra Leone saying it had made a "dramatic
transformation". Otunnu told reporters in New York on Thursday that Sierra
Leone had made impressive gains in the rehabilitation and protection of
war-affected children.

For IRIN Sierra Leone stories go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=SIERRA_LEONE


COTE D'IVOIRE: New government meets minus rebels, opposition

Cote d'Ivoire's new government of national reconciliation met in the
capital Yamoussoukro, 260 km north of Abidjan, on Thursday. However of the
main opposition party, the opposition Rassemblement des Republicains (RDR)
and rebel groups failed to attend the inaugural meeting of 20 out of the
41 cabinet ministers. The absentees cited security concerns for not coming
to the meeting. In Abidjan, groups of youths protested against the
inclusion of rebels in the new government on Wednesday and Thursday.

Prior to the announcement of the new government led by Seydou Diarra which
was accepted last week at a joint meeting of Ivorian parties in Accra,
Ghana, reports emerged of killings in the western Bangolo area. A number
of civilians were reported killed, casting a shadow again over peace
prospects for the war-ravaged country.

The new government is composed of the ruling Ivorian Popular Front (FPI)
with 10 ministries, the former ruling Parti democratique de Cote d'Ivoire
(Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire), the opposition Rassemblement des
Republicains (Rally of the Republicans) and the main rebel Mouvement
Patriotique de Cote d'Ivoire (MPCI - Patriotic Movement of Cote d'Ivoire),
each with seven ministries. The four smaller parties and the two rebel
movements based in the west, the Mouvement pour la Justice et la Paix (MJP
- Movement for Justice and Peace) and the Mouvement patriotique du Grand
Ouest (MPIGO - Patriotic Movement of the Greater West) are also
represented.

For IRIN coverage of the Cote d'Ivoire conflict go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/frontpage.asp?SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=Cote_d_Ivoire


LIBERIA: Annan urges government to bring perpetrators to justice

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday expressed grief about the
brutal killing in Liberia of three humanitarian workers, Kaare Lund, ADRA
director for Norway, Emmanuel Sharpolu, ADRA Liberia director and a
driver, Musa Kita. They were killed by unknown people during recent
fighting, in Toe's Town (Toe Town) near the border with Cote d'Ivoire.
Annan urged Liberia's government to bring the perpetrators to justice and
called on "all parties to the conflict in Liberia to reinforce measures
taken to ensure the protection of civilians, including relief workers".

The UN Country Team in Liberia extended its sympathy to the bereaved
families and colleagues. "The deaths of our three colleagues from ADRA are
a painful reminder for us of the very real dangers that humanitarian
workers face on the ground on a daily basis," it said.

The government blamed the attacks on the defunct United Liberation
Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) rebels and the Liberia Peace
Council (LPC), saying they were being armed to fight alongside the
government of the Cote d'Ivoire.  The Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that about 3,000 returnees, Ivorian
refugees and third-country nationals (TCNs) had fled Toe's Town (Toe
Town), where UNHCR had set up a transit centre for people displaced by
fighting in western Cote d'Ivoire.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Tuesday that the volatile situation
in eastern Liberia, had trapped thousands of civilians without medical
care. MSF, which evacuated staff from the area, said recent fighting had
caused Liberians, Ivorians, Beninese, Burkinabes, Malians and Senegalese
to seek refuge in the surrounding villages and others to hide in the bush.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) appealed for US $1.47
million to evacuate some of the trapped 10,000 TCNs. "Subject to the
availability of funds, IOM is prepared to undertake the orderly and safe
return of TCNs now in Liberian transit camps that will opt for voluntary
repatriation," IOM said. "IOM will provide safe, organised transport
assistance by land to TCNs registered by UNHCR in 12 weeks. The Land
Emergency Return Operation will be implemented from Liberia to the West
African countries of origin."

The UNICEF regional director for West and Central Africa, Rima Salah, who
visited Liberia appealed to the government and the rebel Liberians United
for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to stop using children as
combatants.

For IRIN coverage of the Liberian conflict go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/frontpage.asp?SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=Liberia


GUINEA-BISSAU: Worrisome pattern of press freedom

Guinea-Bissau's government this week suspended the news editor of the
state-run RDN radio station, Ensa Seidi, in what Reporters sans Frontieres
(RSF), said confirms a worrisome pattern for press freedom ahead of
legislative elections in April. Seidi was suspended last week for airing
the return from exile of one-time prime minister Francisco Fadul. In
mid-February, the most influential private radio station, Radio Bombolom,
which the government believed was sympathetic to the opposition, was also
closed.

Guinea-Bissau has faced a political and economic crisis for months now.
President Kumba Iala has responded to growing criticism by arresting those
who speak out against it. Elections were called for 20 April after Iala
dissolved parliament in November, accusing its members of sabotage.

For the full story go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32821&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=GUINEA-BISSAU


NIGER: Renewable energy promotion

A plan of action to promote renewable energy was adopted by a national
forum in Niger. The plan will promote solar, wind and other types of
renewable energy to reduce poverty and improve lives especially for women
in the Sahelian Agadez region, UNDP reported on Tuesday.

The forum called for the creation of a national renewable energy policy, a
legal and financial framework that encourages private sector initiatives
and renewable energy options in all development projects.  The plan also
called for a system to provide loans to women to promote small businesses
based on renewable energy, promotion of renewable energy technologies and
a public information campaign to raise awareness about their advantages.

For the full story go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32798&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGER


GHANA: Dagbon crisis has adverse effects

The year-long crisis in the Dagbon kingdom of northern Ghana has adversely
affected the socio-economic development of the area and its people and has
had security implications, Kwame Addo Kufuor, minister of defense told
students of the University for Development Studies at Nyankpala, on
Saturday.

The crisis broke out in March 2002. It resulted from a long conflict
between the Andani and Abudu clans over the position of Dagbon king. The
clashes climaxed when three days of violence at Yendi, seat of the
kingdom, resulted in the murder of the king and about 29 other people.
Several houses including the royal palace were burnt. The government
declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew on the area. The curfew
is still in force, while the king's remains are still lying at the Yendi
hospital mortuary under 24-hour guard.

Kufuor said the government spent over seven billion cedis (US $9 million)
in 2002 to maintain the fragile peace in Dagbon.

For the full story go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32772&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=GHANA


BURKINA FASO: Returnees top 150,000 mark

Burkina Faso's government said on Monday that some 158,144 Burkinabes had
returned home from Cote d'Ivoire since 19 September 2002. The minister of
social welfare and national solidarity, Mariam Lamizana, told a news
conference that some US $70,000 had been spent to cater for the returning
migrants.

The crisis in Cote d'Ivoire has also had serious economic implications for
Burkina Faso. Sitarail, the railway company operated by both Cote d'Ivoire
and Burkina Faso, suspended railway service between Cote d'Ivoire and
Burkina Faso when the crisis broke out. Also severely affected was the
cattle industry, which has lost 10 billion CFA francs (about US$17
million) because 60 percent of Burkina Faso's cattle used to be sold in
Cote d'Ivoire.

For the full story go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32774&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=BURKINA_FASO


NIGERIA: Food security agreement

Some 23,000 rural Nigerian households are to benefit from a US
$22.7-million agreement between Nigeria, China and FAO to share knowledge
and experience. The agreement, signed by representatives of the two
governments and FAO in Rome, said that China would provide 20 experts and
500 field technicians to work alongside their Nigerian counterparts over a
four-year period.

"Working together, the two countries will implement activities aimed at
safeguarding food security, including water-control projects, production
systems to boost crops and diversification of production." FAO said on
Thursday.

Details of FAO's work on food security are available at: www.fao.org For
the full story go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32744&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGERIA

MALI: Debt relief

Mali, a sparsely populated, landlocked country with limited natural
resources is to benefit from debt relief amounting to approximately US
$675 million under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative, the IMF said on Friday. The IMF and the World Bank said relief
amounting to $356 million would be delivered through a 50-percent
reduction in debt service on IDA credits from 2000 through 2014.

The IMF is to lessen the country's debt burden by about $63 million
through a 38-percent reduction of its debt service from 2000 to 2008, a
release said. Other creditors were also expected to provide their share of
relief required under the enhanced HIPC initiative, it added.

For the full story go to:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32745&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=MALI

[ENDS]

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