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IRIN-WA Weekly Roundup 03-98 of Main Events in West Africa covering the period (Friday) 9 January to (Thursday) 15 January 1998
SIERRA LEONE: Conakry peace accords in balance
Press statements from Sierra Leone's ruling Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) last weekend intensified the debate in Sierra Leone over whether the Conakry peace accords would be implemented. The Sierra Leone peace deal, which calls for a return to civilian rule in April 1998, was signed by all parties to the conflict last October. Since then, however, all major benchmarks for implementing the peace plan have been missed. These include the resumption of humanitarian assistance in mid-November and demobilisation at the beginning of December.
Last week, AFRC Chairman Major Johnny Paul Koroma said
he doubted the Conakry timetable could be implemented
on time. But on Friday, AFRC Secretary-General Colonel
Abdul Karim Sesay said the AFRC was still committed
to implementing the peace plan "within the stipulated
time-frame". Sesay also called for an immediate
summit of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) to discuss the crisis. This summit should
consider the release of Foday Sankoh, leader of the
former rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), now
allied to the AFRC. He also requested it review the
dominant role of Nigeria in the West African peacekeeping
force, ECOMOG.
New diplomatic initiatives
A team led by the United Nations Special Envoy for Sierra Leone, Francis Okelo, arrived by helicopter in Freetown on Wednesday. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook appointed John Flynn as his Special Representative on Sierra Leone. And in a related development, US President Bill Clinton said AFRC members and their families would be barred entry to the United States until the ousted civilian president Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was returned to power.
Kamajors attack village near capital
Meanwhile, in sporadic fighting, Kamajor militias loyal to Kabbah attacked a small town just 88 km from the capital Freetown. The AFRC said the Kamajors had entered Rotifunk, and allegedly beheaded some villagers.
LIBERIA: New ECOMOG general takes command
Major General Timothy Shelpidi on Wednesday assumed command of the ECOMOG forces in Liberia which are scheduled to withdraw from the country next month. His predecessor, Major General Victor Malu, repeatedly clashed with Liberia's President Charles Taylor over ECOMOG's future role, which Malu said was mandated to restructure the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) as its final task in helping end Liberia's seven-year civil war. Shelpidi declared, however, AFL restructuring was the government's constitutional right. "If the government wants ECOMOG help in restructuring the army, they will make a request through the appropriate channels," he said.
Government closes Radio Monrovia
Liberia's Minister for Post and Telecommunications, Maxwell Kaba, has shut down the capital's independent Radio Monrovia. George Bennett, Star Radio's manager, said Radio Monrovia had stopped broadcasting on Tuesday. Kaba, he said, accused Radio Monrovia of failing to pay a US$ 5,000 fine imposed for "illegally" re-allocating two frequencies to Star Radio. Kaba earlier suspended Star Radio broadcasts for the same alleged offence.
NIGER: Opposition welcomes presidential dialogue
The Front pour la Restauration et la Defense de la Democratie (FRDD) in Niger this week accepted an offer for talks with President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara. The FRDD is a coalition of opposition parties led by Mahamane Ousmane, a former president ousted in 1996 when Mainassara seized power in a coup.
Last opposition leader released
The dialogue followed the release on Friday of the last
and most prominent of Niger's opposition leaders detained
for allegedly conspiring to assassinate Mainassara.
Hama Amadou, the former premier and leader of the party
Mouvement National pour la Societe de Developpement
(MNSD), was released on bail and was to face charges
of setting up a para-military organisation. A conviction
would carry a maximum jail term of five years.
40,000 workers end two-day strike
A two-day nationwide warning strike called by Niger's main labour union ended on Thursday without concessions from the government. Schools, health centres, maternity wards and government offices were all affected by the strike. Some 40,000 workers heeded the strike call by the powerful Union des Syndicats des Travailleurs du Niger (USTN) demanding the payment of seven months' wage arrears.
NIGERIA: Prominent human rights activist arrested
Nigerian security agents on Wednesday arrested the secretary general of the Democratic Alternative (DA), Chima Ubani. Ubani, a human rights activist, was arrested as the DA was viewing a cassette on Nigerians expressing their views on the current state of the nation. The international human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, on Thursday, called for Ubani's immediate and unconditional release if he is not prompty charged and tried.
Government to probe alleged foreign collusion in coup plot
In another development, Nigerian foreign minister Chief
Tom Ikimi reiterated to diplomats that the authorities
were investigating claims of foreign involvement in
last month's alleged plot to overthrow the government
of General Sani Abacha. He told them the government
was looking into the "collusion of some diplomatic
missions in Nigeria". Details would only be disclosed
once the investigation was completed.
Thousands displaced in communal clashes
Clashes over local border changes on Monday between two communities displaced thousands of people in northeastern Nigeria. One person was killed and several houses torched in clashes between the Jukun-Chamba and Kutep in Taraba State.
GUINEA: Dual nationality candidates barred
The Guinean government announced that politicians holding dual nationality will be barred from contesting in elections. The Supreme Court upheld a parliamentary motion last November which forbids anyone holding dual nationality running for electoral office.
SENEGAL: Separatist leader calls for peace in Casamance
The leader of the separatist Mouvement des Forces Democratiques de la Casamance (MFDC), Augustin Diamacoune Senghor, has pleaded for an end to the mounting violence in Senegal's southern province, Casamance. Diamacoune, a Catholic priest, instructed his followers to stop laying mines, killing civilians and destroying property. Speaking at a Catholic charity headquarters in the Casamance capital, Ziguinchor, Diamacoune also reiterated his call for a negotiated settlement, but did not suggest re-opening talks with the government.
CAMEROON: Editor sentenced to two years in jail
Pius Njaw, editor of independent Cameroonian newspaper 'Le Messager', was gaoled this week for two years and fined the equivalent of US $ 1,000 for an article alleging President Paul Biya might have a heart ailment. As international human rights organisations condemned the sentence, 'Le Messager' described the court proceedings as "partial".
BENIN: PM criticises government
Prime Minister Adrien Houngbedji of Benin has criticised his government's lack of cohesion. He told a news conference he had not been consulted on any of the annual budgets since 1996.
Hospitals re-open after two-day strike
Nurses and midwives in Benin on Wednesday suspended a two-day warning strike. Negotiations were still under way and nothing had been resolved.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Government resigns
Prime Minister Angel Serafin of Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday presented his government's resignation to President Obiang Nguema, marking the end of its two-year mandate. The 45-member cabinet would remain in office as a caretaker government until a new prime minister is appointed. The move however comes prior to legislative elections due to be called in coming months.
Abidjan, 16 January 1998, 16:00 gmt
[ends]
[The material contained in this communication comes to you via IRIN West Africa, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. UN IRIN-WA Tel: +225 21 73 66 Fax: +225 21 63 35 e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci for more information or subscription. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this report, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. IRIN reports are archived on the Web at: http://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc or can be retrieved automatically by sending e-mail to archive@dha..unon.org. Mailing list: irin-wa-weekly]
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 16:12:26 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN-WA Weekly Roundup 03-98, 98.01.16 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980116161004.14281B-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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