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IRIN-WA Update 123 of Events in West Africa, (Wednesday) 14 January 1998
[As a supplement to its weekly round-ups of main events in West Africa, IRIN-WA will produce a daily synopsis of reports on the region. IRIN issues these reports for the benefit of the humanitarian community but accepts no responsibility as to the accuracy of the original source.]
SIERRA LEONE: Kamajors attack village near capital
Sierra Leone militias loyal to ousted civilian president Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah attacked a small town just 88 km from the capital Freetown, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Quoting a spokesman from the ruling Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), Reuters reported Kamajors had entered Rotifunk, allegedly beheaded some villagers and placed their heads on stakes. According to the news agency, there was no independent confirmation of the attack.
A humanitarian source in Freetown told IRIN on Wednesday that Moyamba district around Rotifunk was unstable. The sources said Kamajors were in the Moyamba area "but there is no real sense they are about to enter Freetown."
Clashes between Kamajors and AFRC troops intensified in the south and east of the country last week as the timetable for the Conakry peace accords, designed to return Sierra Leone to civilian rule in April, fell further behind schedule.
Special Envoy arrives in Freetown
A team led by the United Nations Special Envoy for Sierra Leone, Francis Okelo, arrived by helicopter in Freetown on Wednesday, AFP reported.
Escaped prisoners give themselves up
Some 400 Sierra Leonean prisoners, who escaped from Freetown prison during the coup last May, have voluntarily returned to gaol, AFRC Justice Minister Ajibola Manley Spaine claimed on Wednesday. Spaine told AFP that many "just walked back to the prison and gave themselves up." Police were still looking for another 300 prisoners, including some on death row, the minister said.
SENEGAL: Separatist leader calls for peace in Casamance
The leader of the separatist Mouvement des Forces Democratiques de la Casamance (MFDC), Augustin Diamacoune Senghor, on Tuesday pleaded for an end to the mounting violence in Senegal's southern province, Casamance, news organisations reported. 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. It is widely believed that he has lost control over the armed fighters. His appeal was the third such call for peace in recent weeks. The MFDC has split into militant and more moderate factions.
NIGER: Communal violence flares between religious groups
Communal violence flared between villagers and Islamic fundamentalists in southern Niger at the weekend injuring a number of people, local authorities told AFP on Tuesday. A religious sermon reportedly set members of the Izala sect against local people in Dongondoutchi, 200 km east of Niamey. A number of people were injured in the fighting, including a woman who broke her leg.
Unidentified gunmen kill tourist
Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen killed an Italian tourist in northern Niger last Friday, media sources reported on Tuesday. The attack occurred near Agadez, a stronghold of former Tuareg rebels, 950 km north of the capital, Niamey.
President offers opposition dialogue
Niger's President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara on Wednesday offered a dialogue with the opposition the country's political and economic crisis, AFP reported. Mainassara told opposition leaders he was prepared to explore how they could contribute to the "patriotic task of national construction."
Niger has been troubled by strikes, government claims of cereal shortages, and an alleged coup plot earlier this month. Mainassara himself came to power in a 1996 coup and was declared president six months later after sacking the electoral commission.
NIGERIA: Authorities justify showing video tapes on failed coup plot
Nigeria has justified showing video-taped "confessions" of alleged coup plotters to diplomats as an attempt to erase the uncertainty from the minds of "doubting Thomases", AFP reported. It quoted defence ministry spokesman Godwin Ugbo as saying the selected groups of diplomats and Nigerians shown the tapes would be in a better position to speak about last month's coup plot against the country's leader, General Sani Abacha.
Opposition leaders and lawyers have criticised the Nigerian
government for playing the cassettes, which they said
implied the regime had already passed judgement. A
special investigation panel headed by General Chris
Garuba began sitting more than two weeks ago at an
undisclosed location to examine the evidence. It was
expected to produce a report in a couple of weeks.
Thousands displaced in communal clashes
Clashes on Monday between two communities displaced thousands of people in northeastern Nigeria, Reuters reported, quoting the Nigerian news agency. One person was killed and many houses burnt in clashes between the Jukun-Chamba and Kutep in Taraba State forcing villagers to flee. The Kuteps claimed to have lost some ancestral land in recent local border changes. The changes resulted in fighting and scores of deaths, the report added.
Offshore oil spill
The oil company, Mobil, announced on Tuesday that 40,000
barrels of light crude had leaked from a pipeline in
Nigerian waters, according to Reuters. The production
loss is estimated at 100,000 barrels per day. The cause
of the leak, which occurred three miles offshore, was
still unknown, but a full investigation has begun.
Mobil estimates repair work could take two to four
weeks.
CAMEROON: Editor sentenced to two years in jail
The editor of independent Cameroonian newspaper 'Le Messager', Pius Njawe, was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison and a fine equivalent to US $ 1,000 for an article alleging President Paul Biya might have a heart ailment. In a statement received by IRIN, 'Le Messager' denounced the "partial" court proceedings and the ensuing sentence. It said that the prosecution did not provide any evidence that Njawe had indeed spread false information on President Biya's health.
Meanwhile, the director general of the World Association of Journalists, Timothy Balding, quoted by AFP, called the Njawe sentencing a "day of sorrow" for press freedom in Cameroon and Africa. He added the charges were merely "a pretext to remove a courageous and independent-minded journalist". Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF), meanwhile, said Njawe's sentencing was proof that Biya could not "stand any form of criticism".
LIBERIA: Government closes Radio Monrovia
Liberia's Minister for Post and Telecommunications, Maxwell Kaba, has shut down the capital's independent Radio Monrovia, sources told IRIN Wednesday. George Bennet, the manager of Star Radio, 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.
According to Bennett, Star Radio used frequencies allocated to Radio Monrovia with the full agreement of four Liberian ministries, including the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. Star Radio has now lodged a joint complaint with Radio Monrovia against the ministry requesting a restraining order to overturn the suspension. "If the court decides in our favour, we will start broadcasting again as soon as possible," Bennett said.
Abidjan, 14 january 1998, 19:30 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-updates]
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 19:59:55 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN-West Africa Update 123, 98.1.14 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980114195435.28534A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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