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IRIN-WA Update 129 of Events in West Africa, (Thursday) 22 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.]
NIGERIA: More than 50 arrested in coup investigation
The Nigerian army on Wednesday announced that more than 50 suspects had been held for questioning over an alleged plot to overthrow the Nigerian leader, General Sani Abacha, news organisations reported. Nigerian defence spokesman Colonel Godwin Ugbo, quoted by Reuters, said that more than 50 Nigerians were currently under investigation. He gave no names. The announcement marked the first time the authorities had given an estimate of the number of people held in last month's alleged coup plot.
Ugbo said that an investigation of the affair would be completed by the end of the month. Although details of the allegations have been shrouded in secrecy, select groups of Nigerians and diplomats have been shown taped "confessions" by some of the plotters.
Government in image-building exercise
Meanwhile, a British-based public relations consultant, Max Clifford Associates, has been approached by the Nigerian government to improve its image. Clifford told IRIN on Thursday that he was determined not to misrepresent the situation in Nigeria. He said he would thus ensure that the media had the freedom to check and verify issues in Nigeria. The Nigerian government, he added, had so far agreed to his conditions. Clifford said he expected to finalise the deal in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, shortly.
Government closes 26 banks
Twenty-six "distressed" banks in Nigeria have been closed down by the government, news organisations said Thursday. The daily 'Post Express' described the closures as a first step towards "cleaning up" the banking sector. The move was also aimed at promoting investor confidence and at streamlining what was called a bloated and inefficient banking system.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Central Bank fixed the exchange rate of the naira at 81 to the American dollar, effectively devaluing the currency by 7.5 percent, news organisations reported on Wednesday. The previous exchange rate was 75 naira to the dollar. Reuters described the devaluation as a difficult decision for the government because Abacha has made a strong naira the pillar of his economic policy.
SIERRA LEONE: More deaths in mop-up operation
A spokesman for Sierra Leone's military government, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), said on Thursday 15 Kamajor fighters and three soldiers had been killed in "mopping-up" operations near Tongo Fields, 240 kms east of the capital, AFP reported.
He said that AFRC soldiers fighting alongside members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in recent days had pushed the Kamajors, militia forces loyal to ousted President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, back to Gufor, 16 kms from Tongo Fields. The clashes followed a battle at the weekend in which the AFRC regained control of Tongo Fields after a two-week Kamajor siege. It said at least 130 people had died and thousands fled the area. Tongo Fields, a major diamond mining district and one of the few sources of income for the AFRC, was reportedly still tense as operations continued on Thursday.
Newspapers ordered to register with authorities
Meanwhile, the AFRC ordered Sierra Leone's dozen newspapers to register or re-register with the Ministry of Information, AFP reported. A previous attempt four months ago was met with passive resistance and condemnation by the newspapers and the Sierra Leonean Association of Journalists. Several newspapers said they would wait until the deadline before they decided if they would register. Initial registration cost US$ 2,000 with an annual renewal fee of US$ 1,000.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Island separatist attack kills four
Members of the separatist Bioko island independence movement, MAIB, killed four members of Equatorial Guinea's security forces on 21 January, Deputy Defence Minister Milanio Ekondong Nsomo told news organisations. The armed forces were placed on maximum alert and all but one of the assailants had been captured, he said. AFP quoted observers as saying the incident marked the first time the MAIB had launched an armed attack.
Bioko, an island off the coast of Equatorial Guinea, has long resented the domination of their ethnic Bubi community by the mainland Fang. The conflict intensified when oil was discovered off Bioko.
CAMEROON: IMF warns against slow reforms
The IMF said on Wednesday Cameroon had made progress in economic reforms, but warned the authorities against backtracking on important tax measures, Reuters reported. It quoted an IMF statement in Washington as saying it had been encouraged by Cameroon's economic performance during the first quarter in 1998. But this, it said, was "only the beginning of the adjustment process after a poor track period". The IMF warned of worrisome backtracking on forestry tax reforms and urged authorities to reinstate the measure. This tax together with other "bold" actions to improve the tax adminstration would be crucial to broadening the tax base and achieving the revenue target. The IMF forecast economic growth of five percent in 1997/1998 with an inflation rate of two percent.
RSF denounces journalist's detention
The international press watchdog, Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) on Thursday protested a six-month prison term served earlier this month on a journalist in Cameroon who wrote about an alleged coup plot by high-ranking civil servants. The case against Michel Moussala, who was jailed on 13 January, also resulted in a six-month closure of his newsapaper, the daily 'Aurore Plus'
GABON: Government requests international help for presidential election
Gabonese Interior Minister Antoine Mboumbou-Miyakou on Thursday appealed to the international community to help organise the country's presidential election later this year, AFP reported. It said he had also told a meeting with the diplomatic corps that Gabon would welcome international observers to ensure maximum "transparency". Although a firm date was still to be set, the election is due in November or December.
"The government is counting on the contributions of friendly countries and international organisations in priority areas such as a civic information centre, the training of electoral officers, the acquisition of election material and means of transport," Mboumbou-Miyakou was quoted as saying. He stressed however that Gabon would not tolerate any interference in its internal affairs.
TOGO: Students strike over use of riot police
Togolese university students on Wednesday began a three-day strike in protest at the way riot police had broken up a demonstration over grants earlier this week, news organisations reported. News reports quoted witnesses as saying the stoppage at the University of Benin in the capital, Lome, had been widely followed. The government, in a broadcast statement, urged students to return to class, stating that only those eligible on grounds of merit and social status had received grants. Out of the 14,000 university students, 11,285 received some form of state assistance.
MALI: Classes resume after education protest
In another education dispute, secondary schools and the university in Mali re-opened on Thursday after a two-week boycott of classes, AFP reported. Classes resumed after the government agreed to provide more places in higher education institutions and improved student grants.
Abidjan, 22 January, 18:50 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: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 18:48:15 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN-West Africa Update 129, 98.1.22 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980122184521.11151A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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