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
e-mail: irin-wa@irin.ci


WEST AFRICA
IRIN-WA Weekly Round-Up 427
10 - 16 May 2008


CONTENTS:

CHAD: Govt denies involvement in Khartoum attack
CAMEROON: Two months after riots, children remain in prison
MAURITANIA: Justice not working for rape victims
CAMEROON: Feudjio Diffo Carlos, Cameroon, "My 16 year old cellmate died
   and no one came to collect the corpse"
SENEGAL: Casamance heavily dependent on slowly rising tourism
NIGERIA: Toxic grain threatens food security
LIBERIA: Angie, Liberia, "I suffered internal pain, bled profusely and
   urinated uncontrollably"
CHAD: Aid groups face dilemma over EU protection


CHAD: Govt denies involvement in Khartoum attack

Chad's government has denied allegations made by neighbouring Sudan that 
it backed rebels who raided the Sudanese capital Khartoum on 10 May. 
"The government denies all involvement in this adventure that it 
condemns without reservation," Chadian government spokesperson Mahamat 
Hissene said in a statement released in N'djamena on 11 May.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78162


CAMEROON: Two months after riots, children remain in prison

Many people under the age of 18 were arrested and imprisoned during 
riots over high food prices in February and more than two months later 
some are still behind bars. "Currently we have five minors being 
detained at the central prison," said Joseph Tsala Amougou, the warden 
of Douala's central prison. "None of them have yet been tried."

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78181


MAURITANIA: Justice not working for rape victims

The Mauritanian government says it is trying to increase prosecutions of 
rape cases but poorly trained judges working with murky, outdated legal 
texts make for slow progress.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78182


CAMEROON: Feudjio Diffo Carlos, Cameroon, "My 16 year old cellmate died 
and no one came to collect the corpse"

Carlos Feudjio Diffo, now 22, spent a year of his life in Douala's 
notorious central prison when he was 15. He recounted his experience to 
IRIN.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78183


SENEGAL: Casamance heavily dependent on slowly rising tourism

Tourists are once again heading to Casamance as visitor areas are 
perceived to be safe from the troubles, but some industry experts worry 
that the numbers could plummet again with the recent upsurge in 
violence, seriously jeopardising the region's economy.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78200


NIGERIA: Toxic grain threatens food security

The hospitalisation of 116 girls after consuming beans sprayed with 
harmful pesticides at a secondary school in northern Nigeria's Gombe 
State on 18 April has raised concerns about how dry foods are stored all 
around the country

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78242


LIBERIA: Living with fistula

Of 600 rape victims recently interviewed by a Liberian non-governmental 
organisation, 90 percent of the women were found to be suffering from 
fistulas - a vaginal tear which results in loss of bladder control and 
social stigmatisation.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78243


LIBERIA: Angie, Liberia, "I suffered internal pain, bled profusely and 
urinated uncontrollably"

Angie, 23, has been living with a fistula - a tear in the tissue of her 
vagina that causes her to lose control of her bladder - for almost one 
year, after suffering a prolonged labour. She recounted for IRIN how she 
got the fistula and was left isolated and afraid in a remote town in 
Bong County, central Liberia.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78244


CHAD: Aid groups face dilemma over EU protection

Faced with frequent armed robberies, many aid groups in eastern Chad say 
the European Union Force (EUFOR), deployed there since February, is not 
doing its job of protecting them. At the same time, many of those same 
aid groups say they do not want to jeopardise their neutrality by being 
associated with the armed force.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78251


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