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 Round-Up 309
17 - 23 December 2005


CONTENTS:

LIBERIA: Weah drops fraud allegations in interests of "genuine peace"
CHAD-SUDAN: Army chases rebels into neighbouring Sudan
GUINEA: Indifference marks return to multi-party elections
NIGERIA: Eight children die in attack on oil pipeline
BENIN: Pressure mounting but elections still in doubt


LIBERIA: Weah drops fraud allegations in interests of "genuine peace"

Liberian football legend and failed presidential hopeful, George Weah,
has dropped allegations of fraud in the November run-off poll in the
interests of peace.

"I am pleased to announce that the CDC will not exercise its option of
taking the matter to the Supreme Court," said Weah in a pre-prepared
statement read out at his home on the outskirts of the war-blackened
capital, Monrovia.

Weah's party, the Congress for Democratic Change, lodged allegations of
fraud against winning rival Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf before the final
results were tallied but the former world footballer of the year said he
was making this about turn for the sake of the country.

"Our decision is based on our desire to see the Liberian people achieve
durable and genuine peace and have the opportunity to carry on the
business of national recovery and redemption in an atmosphere of
tranquillity," said Weah sporting a dark safari suit and a smile.

His announcement came days after the national electoral commission threw
out the CDC's fraud case. International mediators, including former
Nigerian president Abdusalami Abubakar, had petitioned Weah not to
exercise his right to appeal the decision through Liberia's Supreme
Court.

Full report 


CHAD-SUDAN: Army chases rebels into neighbouring Sudan

The plot is thickening in an already conflict-ridden zone after Chad's
military made good on threats to pursue rebels into Sudanese territory
following heavy fighting in an eastern border town.

"The attacks were repulsed by the Chadian army which, using its right to
pursuit, destroyed a few rebel bases implanted in Sudanese territory,"
said Chadian Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmad Allami, speaking to foreign
ambassadors in the capital N'Djamena.

Adre, a dusty border post a mere 500 metres from Sudan's troubled Darfur
region, was back under government control and the situation was
generally calm two days after the attacks, according to Ginette Le
Breton of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Chad's foreign minister accused the Sudanese government of playing a
destabilising role in the region and expressed concern over the possible
accession of its neighbour to the African Union presidency when
Nigeria's term is up.

"In any event, Africa must not allow (Sudanese President Umar) al-Bashir
to be the next president of the Union if it does not want to encourage
him in his catastrophic and belligerent policies, as much within his own
country as towards his neighbours," foreign minister Allami said.

Sudan has denied interference in Chad's affairs and has countered
accusations with similar charges against its neighbour.

At a briefing to the UN Security Council, Jan Egeland, UN humanitarian
affairs chief, warned that further fighting in eastern Chad and Darfur
could impede the largest humanitarian operation in the world.

Full report 


GUINEA: Indifference marks return to multi-party elections

While the international community kept a close eye on nationwide
municipal elections in Guinea, seen by many as a key test of the
country's programme of democratic reforms, the voters apparently largely
stayed home.

Although no official numbers were available, eyewitness reports
suggested that relatively few of the five million eligible voters
actually cast a ballot in the first elections in five years to involve
the full participation of a boycott-prone opposition.

The low turnout was not unexpected, given the high level of apathy
characterising a campaign that was marked by only a few isolated
incidents.

"From what we've been able to gather so far, the election was quiet and
peaceful throughout the country," said Adamou Kombo, the main technical
consultant for the elections with the UN Development Programme, which
provided logistical support funded by international donors.

In recent months, Guinea's Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo has
embarked on a series of reforms including media liberalisation and
increased freedom for the opposition.

Following these moves, major organisations such as the World Bank and
European Union - donors who had cut off aid to a regime often accused of
corruption and mismanagement - agreed to provide funding for elections
which one international think-tank said would "largely determine the
quality of Guinean democracy."

The UNDP's Kombo said it was too early to comment on the extent to which
the elections were free and fair, because he was still waiting for his
network of 400 observers to return from the field.

Full report 


NIGERIA: Eight children die in attack on oil pipeline

Attackers have blown up an oil pipeline sparking a major fire killing
eight children in southern Nigeria, said residents and industry
officials.

The blast at a Royal Dutch Shell facility 50 km southwest of the oil
town of Port Harcourt, rocked nearby villages in the early hours of the
morning.

"So far no fewer than eight children have been roasted and their corpses
have been recovered," said Mowan Etete, a spokesman for the Andoni
ethnic minority worst-hit by the resulting oil spill, told reporters.

Burning crude quickly swept through creeks and waterways setting alight
several villages and fishing settlements built on stilts or along the
water's edge.

Eye witnesses said armed men wearing red bands, often sported by militia
fighters, had arrived in four speedboats sometime after midnight and
ordered them to leave. The men planted explosives on crude oil
pipelines, detonating them as they sped away, they said.

Shell officials could not confirm who carried out the attack but said
that dynamite may have been used.

Full report 


BENIN: Pressure mounting but elections still in doubt

Opposition parties and civil society groups are turning up the heat on
Benin's President Mathieu Kerekou so that he will keep his promise to
hold elections as planned early next year.

Kerekou's second term as head of state is set to expire at the beginning
of April and he has promised to respect the constitution by not seeking
a third mandate. But the government's claims that it lacks the funds
necessary to hold elections are feeding rumours that the president hopes
to put off the vote until 2008.

There are concerns about what such a move would mean for the future of a
country whose constitution has provisions for the death or overthrow of
the head of state, but not for the expiration of a mandate due to
postponed polls.

"Not holding these elections would lead to a judicial vacuum in Benin
and could cause enormous problems for the country," said local NGO
coordinator Issa Badarou.

So far, those clamouring for elections have not formed a united front,
with representatives of the UN Development Programme and opposition
parties meeting the president in person, while union leaders and women's
rights activists have opted for street protests.

But talks are under way between opposition parties, NGOs, unions and
religious leaders and they say the government must come up with the
necessary funds by the end of the week or face as-yet-unrevealed
consequences.

Full report 


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