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 164
22 - 28 February 2003


CONTENTS:

COTE D'IVOIRE: New government still to be formed
LIBERIA: Taylor accuses Guinea of supporting LURD
GUINEA-BISSAU: Agreement reached over backpay
WESTERN SAHARA: 100 Moroccan prisoners repatriated
WEST AFRICA: Third-country nationals stuck in Liberia and Guinea

COTE D'IVOIRE: New government still to be formed  

Cote d'Ivoire's new cabinet has still not been formed, four weeks after a
roundtable conference in Paris at which various measures were agreed on,
including the creation of a new government, to end the country's conflict.

Throughout the week there was a series of meetings between President
Laurent Gbagbo, on one hand, and on the other, new Prime Minister Seydou
Diarra, various political parties and an international committee mandated
to monitor the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The delay in forming the new administration has been caused by
disagreement over the allocation of cabinet posts, in particular the
interior and defence posts.

The main and oldest rebel group, the Patriotic Movement of Cote d'Ivoire
(MPCI), insists that it was promised these two posts by President Gbagbo
during a summit held on 25 January, one day after the Paris agreement. The
government has denied promising anything to the rebels.
 
The week was also marked by developments in the area of human rights:

On 22 February the government issued a document rejecting a report which a
UN human rights mission issued in January. Then, on Wednesday, Amnesty
International issued a new report in which it accused the MPCI of
perpetrating massacres against gendarmes and civilians in Bouake in
October 2002. MPCI denied Amnesty's report. On Thursday, a team of
government lawyers announced that it planned to file suit against those
responsible for human rights violations before the International Criminal
Court.

Numerous humanitarian agencies have conducted recent assessment missions
in western Cote d'Ivoire. The consensus is that the west is the most
volatile and dangerous zone in the country, not least because of the
involvement of Liberian fighters on both sides.

A UN technical mission has concluded the first week of a two-week mission
in Abidjan to determine the role the United Nations could play in
resolving the crisis.

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

LIBERIA: Taylor accuses Guinea of supporting LURD

The Liberian government has accused Guinea, in a complaint filed at the UN
Security Council, of aiding the Liberians United for Reconciliation and
Democracy, an armed movement fighting to overthrow the administration of
President Charles Taylor.

In a letter dated 18 February, Taylor said Guinean authorities had
facilitated the establishment of the LURD, provided the rebels with
support and allowed them to move freely to and from Guinea. Citing various
international reports, which have documented LURD presence in Guinea,
Liberia requested the Council to take urgent measures to end the present
situation.

Political developments in Liberia in recent weeks include a 21 February
ruling by the Supreme Court ruled on 21 February that general elections
could go ahead on 14 October without a national census. The ruling came in
response to a lawsuit by internally displaced Liberians.

In their lawsuit, residents of three war-affected countries had stated
that a census was necessary to verify eligible voters and demarcate
electoral constituencies. They said that given the current situation in
their areas, they could be deprived of the right to register in their
constituencies and to vote.
 
Meanwhile, the government has reinstated a compulsory exit visa for
nationals and foreigners wishing to leave the country. According to the
Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, the move is aimed at "having a
database of those leaving Liberia."  The reintroduction of the visa - for
the third time since 1997 - has been criticised by national human rights
groups.

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

GUINEA-BISSAU:  Agreement reached over back pay

Guinea-Bissau's government and its main labour unions reached agreement
this week over the payment of salary arrears, thus reducing to one day a
five-day strike the unions had launched on Monday.

Civil servants had taken to the streets on Monday to press the government
to pay overdue salaries and grant them free medical care and monthly food
subsidies. Some state workers have not been paid for 12 months.

The agreement was reached on Monday, with the government promising to
begin paying salary arrears in the next two weeks.

The strike came two months before legislative elections to be held on 20
April.

The opposition, which has decided to form a coalition to challenge the
party of incumbent President Kumba Iala, has indicated that it would like
to see the polls postponed. It has also asked for foreign observers to
ensure that the election is free and fair.

In other news, UNICEF on Monday agreed to provide Guinea-Bissau with
assistance worth US $23 million under a new five-year support and
cooperation programme that will continue until 2007. The programme will
cover child protection, nutritional health, primary education and
functional literacy. It will also include the development of a social
communication policy.

For IRIN coverage of Guinea-Bissau, please go to
http://www.irinnews.org/frontpage.asp?SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=Guinea-Bissau

WESTERN SAHARA: 100 Moroccan prisoners repatriated

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday facilitated the
repatriation of 100 Moroccan prisoners released earlier this month by the
Polisario Front.

According to ICRC, the former prisoners, who were either elderly or in
poor health, were flown from Tindouf, Algeria, to Agadir in Morocco. In
welcoming the Polisario's gesture, the ICRC also urged the armed movement
to release its remaining 1,160 Moroccan prisoners.

Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is occupied by Morocco which
invaded it in 1975 when Spain pulled out. The invasion led the Polisario
Front to take up arms to obtain the independence of the territory. In
1991, the Polisario Front and Morocco signed a ceasefire agreement, but a
planned referendum to determine the future of the territory has still not
been held.

For IRIN coverage of Western Sahara please go to
http://www.irinnews.org/frontpage.asp?SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=Western_Sahara

WEST AFRICA: Third-country nationals stuck in Liberia and Guinea

Thousands of West Africans who fled Cote d'Ivoire are stuck in Liberia and
Guinea, unable to return to their home countries - Benin, Burkina Faso,
Mali, Senegal and Togo - Refugees International reported.

"An estimated 43,000 people fled Cote d'Ivoire and entered Liberia and
Guinea. Thousands more continue to arrive. In addition to 20,000 Ivorian
refugees and 45,000 returnees, Liberia has received at least 12,000
nationals of third countries, with the majority from Burkina Faso," RI
said on Thursday.
 
"Donors must immediately respond with funding to move these vulnerable
people to their home countries. In two months, the rainy season will make
roads impassable and these people will then be stuck for many months," RI
said. "The rainy season will make the health situation even more tenuous.
Already, meningitis has killed several people, and there is risk of a
yellow fever outbreak in addition to widespread malaria and growing
malnutrition."

RI recommended that the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
move staff and resources to Liberia to start the transit of third-country
nationals. UNHCR should be mandated and funded to move them if IOM cannot
do so immediately, RI said, adding that donors should increase funding to
UN agencies and NGOs that are providing assistance to third-country
nationals, refugees and returnees.


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