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 441
16 - 22 August 2008


CONTENTS:

COTE D'IVOIRE: UN warns toxic waste still a threat
NIGERIA: Sickle-cell disorder killing 100,000 infants a year
SUDAN-CHAD: Longing and gratitude - the refugee experience
GLOBAL: Pressure on to reach emissions agreement


COTE D'IVOIRE: UN warns toxic waste still a threat

Two years after an illegal toxic dumping operation in the Ivorian 
capital Abidjan created a widespread medical emergency and political 
scandal, UN contamination expert Okechukwu Ibeanu warns the clean-up 
effort has stalled. "The sites have still not been decontaminated and 
continue to pose a threat to the health of thousands of people," Ibeanu, 
the UN Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement 
and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes, said in Abidjan 
earlier in August, after completing a one-week assessment mission.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79894


NIGERIA: Sickle-cell disorder killing 100,000 infants a year

At least 100,000 infants die from the sickle-cell genetic disorder in 
Nigeria every year, and the country still has the highest incidence of 
the illness in Africa. "From available statistics, 100,000 infants die 
from sickle-cell disease in Nigeria annually, making it the number one 
sickle-cell endemic country in Africa," Sadiq Wali, president of the 
Nigeria Sickle-cell Foundation, told IRIN. "Based on World Health 
Organization [WHO] indices, Nigeria accounts for 75 percent of infant 
sickle-cell cases in Africa and almost 80 percent of infant deaths from 
the disease in the continent", Wali said.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79916


SUDAN-CHAD: Longing and gratitude - the refugee experience

It is pitch black; the sun has not yet risen, but Achta Abakar Ibrahim 
is kneeling outside her straw home in Djabal refugee camp in 
southeastern Chad, praying to God. She thanks Him that she escaped war 
in Sudan and that she and her family are now safe in Chad. She thanks 
Him that the Chadian people have welcomed her so openly and that 
humanitarian workers have helped her build a temporary life. She still 
has scars on her back from the beatings she received while pregnant, by 
armed men she calls `janjaweed', who stormed her village in western 
Sudan, burning homes, killing men and raping women.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79918


GLOBAL: Pressure on to reach emissions agreement

Industrialised and developing countries will be under intense pressure 
to agree on greenhouse gas emission reduction targets during week-long 
negotiations over future greenhouse gas emission targets which kicked 
off in the Ghana capital Accra on 21 August. "There is little time left 
to get a solid negotiation text on the table. Clearly the clock is 
ticking," Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate 
Change (UNFCCC) told the 1,600 delegation from 150 countries at the 
opening ceremony. The Accra meeting is one of a series of working-group 
sessions between rich and poor countries meant to build consensus ahead 
of a final meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009. The parties have to 
seal agreements on emissions reduction, mitigation and adaptation.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79953


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