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IRIN-WA Update 202 of Events in West Africa, (Thursday) 7 May 1998
SIERRA LEONE: Independent probe into arms deal
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook on Wednesday said he would order an independent inquiry into allegations that the British government had assisted in covert arms sales used to overthrow the Sierra Leonean military junta, news organisations reported. Cook said the independent inquiry would not begin until the British Customs and Excise investigation currently under way is completed so as not to prejudice any possible criminal proceedings, the BBC reported. The findings would be made public. Prime Minister Tony Blair said earlier that if any British official or minister had deliberately breached the UN arms embargo they would face disciplinary action. A London firm, Sandline International, allegedly supplied up to 30 tonnes of arms and ammunition to Sierra Leone.
The British daily 'The Independent' on Thursday revealed that a former Thai banker, Raskesh Saxena, had offered to fund the ousting of the military junta, according to AFP. Saxena is said to have mining interests in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leonean reaction
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone Information Minister Julius Spencer said the British people should be proud of its government because it did something that changed the "course of history for the better", Reuters said. Several Sierra Leonean papers have announced a march in support of Peter Penfold, the British High Commissioner (ambassador) to Sierra Leone, who has been summoned to London to help in the gun-running investigation.
ECOMOG chiefs recommend continued presence
Chiefs of staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting in Accra earlier this week recommended that its peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, continue in Sierra Leone until the country has been pacified, PANA reported on Thursday. The meeting also recommended that member countries pledging additional forces send them immediately.
Meanwhile, ECOMOG Force Commander Major General Timothy Shelpidi told IRIN that ECOMOG needed an additional 6,000 troops and logistical support for the demobilisation process in Sierra Leone. He said without international financing the deployment of troops would definitely be hindered since some countries would be unable to send troops. He stressed how important this assistance was to the success of the demobilisation programme. Successful mobilisation of funds had facilitated operations in the former Yugoslavia and Liberia, he added.
Shelpidi said 90 percent of the 10,000 ECOMOG troops are currently deployed in Sierra Leone and the rest in Liberia. The troops are drawn from Guinea and Ghana, but primarily from Nigeria. The bulk of the operational costs are currently sustained by Nigeria. Ghana has a battalion in Liberia and a small air detachment at the international airport in Lungi in Freetown. Gambia, Mali, Niger and Cote d'Ivoire have all pledged to contribute troops.
Treason trial amid tight security
Twenty people charged with treason for involvement with the ousted military regime appeared in high court in Freetown on Wednesday, according to AFP. Traffic was diverted from the main streets before the hearing and all those entering the court were searched. Brigadier Leslie Lymon, former minister of internal affairs under the military regime, appeared in court. No explanation was given for the absence of three other defendants.
Ban on new mining permits
The Sierra Leone government has banned the issuing of new gold and diamond mining permits, Minister of Mineral Resources Mohamed Deen said on Wednesday, news organisations reported. The ban was ordered to stop rebels from infiltrating the mining areas in eastern Sierra Leone, the scene of fighting between ECOMOG and retreating junta forces. It was also aimed at stopping "collaborators" from mining to help fund the rebels and to curb smuggling, the minister quoted by Reuters said. No more licences would be issued until ECOMOG gave clearance, the minister said.
NIGERIA: Government accuses Western countries of subversion
Nigerian Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi on Thursday accused Western countries of backing a May Day protest in Ibadan in southwest Nigeria during which at least seven people were killed, news sources reported. Speaking at a diplomatic function in the federal capital, Abuja, Ikimi said the Nigerian government had enough evidence that the violent acts in Ibadan were being "funded and financed by Western powers", Nigerian television reported. Ikimi, quoted by Reuters, also said the plot to destablise the transition programme would not work and would not be in the interest of Britain and others in their ranks.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the all-share index fell on Tuesday to a new 20-month low and was down more than 30 per cent over the past 12 months. A statement from the Nigerian Shareholders Solidarity Association said there would only be investment, if there was political stability and functional infrastructure.
Muslim leader's trial postponed
The trial of the radical Muslim leader, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zak Zaki, in the northern Nigerian town of Kaduna was adjourned for several weeks, according to the BBC. The Sheikh presented his defence against charges of inciting anti-government feeling and of producing seditious documents. Zak Zaki's imprisonment for almost a year before coming to trial has stirred up anti-government feeling. The trial was adjourned for several weeks.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the wife of Zak Zaki, was charged in a Kaduna court, together with 28 other defendants, with inciting disaffection against the government and unlawful assembly, AFP reported, quoting the daily 'Vanguard'. The women and their children were refused bail pending financial guarantees. Out of the 29 defendants, 13 are under the age of 10. They were arrested in April after participating in a banned demonstration. The High Court adjourned the case to next Tuesday.
Government confirms release of 143 detainees
The Nigerian government on Wednesday announced the names of 142 prisoners and detainees freed in an amnesty granted by Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha, Nigerian state-run television reported. The prisoners were released in line with Abacha's promise last November to free those that did not pose a security threat. Interior minister Bashir Dalhatu said the government was determined to continuously "appraise the circumstances" of all those incarcerated. Pope John Paul appealed for clemency during a visit in March to Nigeria. Dalhatu did not say whether the releases had anything to do with the Pope's plea. None of Nigeria's major political figures was among those released.
Pro-Abacha meeting cancelled
A meeting of newly elected parliamentarians to urge Abacha to stand as a sole presidential candidate has been postponed indefinitely, according to AFP on Wednesday. Chief Francis Nzeribe, who called for the meeting, gave no reason for its indefinite postponement. Nzeribe is a controversial figure as he urged the military to hold on to power after the 1993 presidential elections were annulled, AFP said. The United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), in a statement on state radio, called on its legislators not to attend the suggested meeting. UNCP won most of the votes in last year's state elections and the 25 April legislative elections.
LIBERIA: Taylor calls for international investigation
Liberian President Charles Taylor called for an international
investigation into allegations that the Liberian government
is involved in fighting in Sierra Leone, Star Radio
reported. He said the United Nations, the Organisation
of African Unity (OAU) and ECOWAS should send observers
to monitor the situation. Taylor said it was unacceptable
for ECOMOG to level allegations against his government
without any evidence. He called on security forces
to be vigilant and arrest any Sierra Leonean rebel
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) fighters operating
in Liberia. This is Taylor's first reaction to ECOMOG's
persistent claims that Liberian troops are fighting
in Sierra Leone.
UN to assist resettlement of 50,000 displaced Liberians
The UN is assisting the return of about 50,000 displaced Liberians to their home of origin or to resettle in new communities, a UN report said on Wednesday. A UNDP project would give families tools and materials to construct shelters or repair their homes damaged by the war. The resettlement programme is scheduled to be completed before the onset of the raining season in June.
NIGER: US calls for release of journalist
The United States government, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed deep concern about the recent attempts to stifle press freedom in Niger and called on the government to release three journalists, Moussa Tchangari, El Hadj Oubandawaki and Keita Suleiman. State Department deputy spokesman James Foley said that threats, intimidations and arrest of respected journalists and the closure of a local radio station "undermined" efforts to bring about national reconciliation. He also called on President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara to resolve Niger's political stalemate.
Sudan food aid to Niger
The Sudanese government on Wednesday announced it would be donating 5,000 mt of cereal to Niger, AFP reported. Nigerien President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara was in Sudan on a three-day official visit. Sudan itself faces a famine in the south.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Trial slated for 25 May
The Equatorial Guinean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Oyono, on Wednesday announced that the court case investigating the attacks on Bioko island in January would start on 25 May in the capital, Malabo, AFP reported. The trial would be open to the public and international observers were invited. In early January, an armed group attacked the towns of Luba and Moka on the island killing nine people. The attacks were blamed on an outlawed minority Bubi ethnic movement, Movimiento para la Autodeterminacion de la Isla de Bioko (MAIB). The UN appointed a Special Rapporteur, Alejandro Artucio, in early April to undertake an investigation.
Abidjan, 7 May 1998, 18:00 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-updates]
Date: Thu, 7 May 1998 18:12:46 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN West Africa Update 202, 98.5.7 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980507180934.24987A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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