U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
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Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa

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e-mail: irin-wa@irin.ci


WEST AFRICA
IRIN-WA Weekly Round-Up 291
20 - 26 August 2005


CONTENTS:

COTE D IVOIRE: "Elections won't take place" says rebel leader
NIGER: Annan says more food aid needed if lives to be saved
CHAD: Journalists stop the presses, call for release of imprisoned
   colleagues
LIBERIA: Steel giant plans to resuscitate iron ore exports
GUINEA-BISSAU: National cholera day declared as deaths double in
   fortnight


COTE D IVOIRE: "Elections won't take place" says rebel leader

The leader of the New Forces rebels, Guillaume Soro, on Thursday voiced 
what many Ivorians have been saying for months now - that peace-sealing 
presidential elections scheduled for 30 October will not take place.

"The New Forces are convinced that the presidential elections of 30 
October, will not take place on that date," said Soro as he summed up 
the results of a week-long seminar in the rebel-stronghold of Bouake.

The rebel leader said the new forces, who control the northern half of 
Cote d'Ivoire, were ready to take matters into their own hands.

"At mid-night of 30 October, the New Forces will do what they have to 
do," said Soro, surrounded by senior rebel commanders dressed in 
fatigues and bullet-deflecting amulets.

This is the first time that a senior figure in the hobbling Ivorian 
peace process has stated that the polling date is not realistic.But many 
Ivorian voters who have watched one deadline after another slip by had 
written off the possibility of an October ballot months ago.

With only nine weeks to go to polling day, over 40,000 rebel fighters 
and some 10,000 more pro-Gbagbo militias have yet to hand in a single 
weapon.

Full report http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48771



NIGER: Annan says more food aid needed if lives to be saved

Fresh from visiting skeletal babies and worried mothers at the heart of 
Niger's food crisis, UN Secretary Kofi Annan on Wednesday called for 
more funds to save thousands of lives in the weeks leading up to the 
next harvest.

UN agencies have appealed for US $81 million to help fill empty stomachs 
and treat the sick in hunger-stricken Niger, the world's second poorest 
country.

But despite a torrent of media attention, only half of that sum -- US 
$41 million -- has been donated to date and Niger's people have an 
anxious month to go before the next crops can be harvested.

"A food crisis of such a scale is unacceptable in the 21st century," 
Annan told a press conference in the capital, Niamey, at the end of his 
two-day visit. "We are trying to push the international community to act 
quickly, we are telling them to hurry up."

Full report http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48743



CHAD: Journalists stop the presses, call for release of imprisoned 
colleagues

Chadian journalists began a one-week news blackout on Monday to protest 
the imprisonment of four colleagues and to draw international attention 
to what one striking reporter called the "creeping dictatorship" of 
President Idriss Deby.

All but one of Chad's private newspapers have stopped work and some 
private radio stations have cut news transmissions after four 
journalists were thrown in prison since late June, accused of various 
offences including defaming Deby and inciting hatred.

Deby, who took power in a coup in 1990 but validated his position 
through elections in 1996 and 2001, sparked a wave of criticism at home 
and abroad in June when he pushed through constitutional changes 
allowing him to run for a third term in 2006.

One of the arrested journalists had written a piece criticising Deby's 
constitutional changes. Previously the constitution limited presidents 
to two consecutive terms in office.

A number of journalists said the Deby government has become increasingly 
repressive towards the private media, which have been largely critical 
of Deby's third-term ambitions.

Full report http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48693



LIBERIA: Steel giant plans to resuscitate iron ore exports

Mittal Steel, one of the world's largest steel companies, has signed a 
deal to develop some 1 billion tonnes of iron ore reserves in northern 
Liberia, government officials told IRIN.

The company was one of four multinationals that submitted bids back in 
January to develop mines in Nimba County, close to the border with 
Guinea.

"Mittal Steel envisages approximate total spend of US $900 million 
during the lifetime of the project," the company, which is listed on the 
New York and Amsterdam stock exchanges, said in a statement issued on 
Monday.

"This cost will cover development of the mines, related railway and port 
infrastructure and provides means for community development," it said.

The deal is expected to span 25 years, according to officials from the 
Liberia's Mines and Energy Ministry, but first it must be ratified by 
Liberia's parliament.

Full report http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48717



GUINEA-BISSAU: National cholera day declared as deaths double in 
fortnight

The number of deaths from cholera in Guinea-Bissau has more than doubled 
in the last fortnight, with statistics released by the health ministry 
on Wednesday showing that the water-borne disease has now killed 177 
people and infected more than 9,000.

Trying to halt a spiralling epidemic, the government on Wednesday banned 
all traditional ceremonies and put a stop to water and food being sold 
at the markets.

"If people don't change their habits, the government won't have the 
means to stop this cholera," government spokesman Daniel Gomes told 
reporters.

Authorities also declared Wednesday a public holiday dedicated to 
fighting cholera.

Full report http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=48738


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2005


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