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IRIN-WA Update 204 of Events in West Africa, (Saturday-Monday) 9-11 May 1998
SIERRA LEONE: Government hired British security firm
Sierra Leonean Information Minister Julius Spencer said on Monday President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah had unilaterally hired the British security firm, Sandline International, while he was in exile in Guinea to supply ammunitions and weapons to pro-democracy militias, AFP reported. Spencer said he was not aware of any official British involvement in the deal with Sandline, which is embroiled in a row over breaching a UN arms embargo. Referring to the UN arms embargo against Sierra Leone, Spencer said it was felt the UN resolution was aimed at getting the military junta "out of power" and did not apply to Kabbah. "The legal niceties of whether or not the resolution applied to us were academic," Spencer said, according to AFP. Spencer added that the weapons only arrived in Sierra Leone about a week after the ouster of the military junta by the West African intervention force, ECOMOG, in mid-February. He said Sandline was given prospecting rights for diamonds in certain parts of the country as part of the deal.
Spencer said Sandline's involvement in Sierra Leone pre-dated the deal. It had initially approached Kabbah shortly after the May 1997 coup. He also said he was certain Kabbah did not discuss Sandline with British Foreign Office Minister Tony Lloyd in March, or indeed with Nigeria. Sandline is linked to another security firm, Lifeguard, which was contracted to protect a hydro-electric plant under construction in the northwest of Sierra Leone, Spencer added.
British premier praises envoy
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday intervened in the scandal over the illegal arms exports to Sierra Leone to stress that Britain had acted to "help the democratic regime restore its position", according to AFP. Speaking to journalists, he said "nobody should be involved deliberately in breaking a UN arms embargo". He said both the UN and the UK were trying to help restore democracy. Blair paid tribute to Britain's High Commissioner (ambassador) to Sierra Leone, Peter Penfold, for doing a "superb job" in dealing with the consequences of the military coup and working closely with Kabbah's regime.
US denies involvement in arms sale
The US State Department on Friday denied giving approval to Sandline International to supply arms to Sierra Leone in violation of a UN embargo, AFP reported. State Department spokesman James Foley said the security firm had periodically contacted the State Department, but had provided no information on arm shipments. Foley, quoted by AFP, added that the State Department had asked the British government to "take a strong lead" in obtaining logistical support for ECOMOG.
Ousted coup leader offers to surrender
Sierra Leone's ousted army ruler, Johnny Paul Koroma, has offered to surrender to a senior churchman and not the Nigerian-led ECOMOG, news sources reported on Saturday, quoting a senior ECOMOG source. Reuters quoted Koroma as telling the Roman Catholic bishop of Sierra Leone's northern diocese, George Biguzzi, through envoys that he would surrender to the church as he feared for his life and that of his family. Church sources declined to comment, but ECOMOG said it would guarantee Koroma's safety, Reuters added. Koroma and his family have apparently taken refuge in the Bintumani Mountains near the eastern border with Guinea.
An ECOMOG senior officer, quoted by Reuters, said ECOMOG
had attacked 350 junta supporters near the northern
town of Kabala last week, killing over 30, including
the rebel number three Dennis Mingo. According to the
officer, the 350 formed the hard core of Koroma's forces.
NIGERIA: Politicians urge Abacha not to run
A group of 34 Nigerian politicians, including former civilian vice president Alex Ekwueme and former ministers, urged Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha not to stand for president, news organisations reported on Saturday. The group, in an open letter published in Nigerian newspapers, urged Abacha to "categorically decline" to stand as sole candidate. The letter, quoted by AFP added that if Abacha should accept the candidacy, it would create the impression that Nigeria is "degenerating to a state of anarchy", thus bringing the entire transition process and the head of state himself "to ridicule and disgrace". PANA reported the letter described the endorsement of the five registered parties of one presidential candidate as "unconstitutional". It warned that a wrong decision may set in motion a chain of events that could ultimately lead to the "disintegration of our fatherland".
The 34 signatories included prominent northern and southern politicians, and some of Abacha's former ministers. A similar document by a group of politicians from northern Nigeria was published in March. the sole presidential candidate.
G8 calls for "credible transition"
Foreign Ministers from the Group of Eight (G8), a gathering of industrialised nations, on Saturday urged Nigeria to undertake a "credible transition" to civilian rule in which the opposition could campaign freely, news reports said. A final communique issued after a two-day meeting in preparation for the G8 summit next week in Birmingham, Britain, quoted the ministers as saying they remained "deeply concerned" about continued human rights abuses and the detention of leaders and pro-democracy activists, Reuters reported.
The G8 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Foreign Minister defends polls plan
Nigerian Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi dismissed the idea that either a low voter turnout or the absence of opposition candidates could invalidate October's scheduled presidential elections, Reuters reported on Sunday. He said the low voting figures in Britain's local council elections and unopposed poll victories in Uganda or Egypt had not led to annulment of those elections. Reuters quoted Ikimi as saying that there was an "overwhelming call" for Abacha to contest the elections which nobody should ignore. Referring to the impact of sanctions imposed in 1995 after the execution of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and others, he said: "The sanctions have not been effective and mean absolutely nothing to our country."
Key opposition leader arrested
The head of the pro-democracy coalition, the United Action for Democracy (UAD), Olisa Agbakoba, was arrested on Friday and taken to an unknown destination, according to news reports. Agbakoba was arrested after he arrived at Lagos airport from a trip to Ghana. AFP quoted the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) as saying some 15 security officers searched UAD offices in Lagos and seized a number of documents on Saturday. Agbakoba was the CLO's former president.
The UAD had urged Nigerians to protest against military rule on May Day. Some 12 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, including the secretary-general of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Ayo Opadokun, and former civilian governor Bola Ige.
Shell calls for "fair treatment" of Ogoni prisoners
The Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell on Friday reiterated calls for the Nigerian government to treat Ogoni political prisoners from the southeast fairly, AFP reported. Speaking at a press conference at Shell's headquarters in The Hague, Shell chief Cor Herkstroter said the call for fair treatment of the prisoners was an example of Shell's "commitment" to supporting fundamental human rights. Shell exploits oil deposits in southern Nigeria and has been accused of polluting and destroying the region's ecosystem, AFP said.
LIBERIA: Government not involved in Sierra Leone
Liberian Information Minister Joe Mulbah on Saturday said it was not in Liberia's interest to support an "escalation" in the fighting in Sierra Leone, independent Star Radio reported. Speaking on Radio Monrovia, Mulbah said Liberians fighting alongside the ousted junta were "on their own" and recommended that they be arrested. Last week, Liberian President Charles Taylor called for international observers to monitor the situation and denied ECOMOG allegations that Liberia was involved in Sierra Leone.
Minister denies ethnic bias in army retrenchment
Liberian Defence Minister Daniel Chea said the retirement and demobilisation process was not targeting any particular ethnic group, Star Radio reported on Saturday. Testifying before the joint Senate and House committee on defence, Chea said Liberia could not afford a large army given the current financial difficulties. There were some 12,000 soldiers before the current retrenchment exercise began, but only half would be retrained. Last week, demobilised soldiers stormed the Ministry of Defence demanding their retirement benefits. In a related development, the demobilised soldiers, meeting with the joint senate and house committee, said they would pursue their benefit demands by peaceful means, Star Radio said.
Some 2,000 mainly ethnic Krahn have been demobilised since the retrenchment programme began.
BENIN: Prime minister steps down
The Prime Minister of Benin, Adrien Houngbedji, on Friday announced his resignation from the government with three other ministers from his Parti du Renouveau Democratique (PRD), news reports said. Houngbedji gave no reason for his resignation. Sources quoted by AFP, reported Houngbedji's party was apparently set to lose some ministerial posts in an impending cabinet reshuffle.
Houngbedji was prime minister for two years. The PRD is the second largest party in parliament with 19 out of the 82 seats in the national assembly. The resignation could signal the end of a 18-member coalition government set up when President Mathieu Kerekou came back to power in March 1996, AFP said.
NIGER: Journalist released, publisher detained
Authorities in Niger released a journalist arrested five days earlier and detained the publisher of an opposition weekly, 'The Republican', according to AFP on Friday. The journalist, Moussa Tchangari, was arrested last Monday after reading a petition against political censorship over the radio. Meanwhile, Mamane Abou, owner of Niger's biggest printing company, was picked up by the police on suspicion of arson and insurance fraud. According to Abou's colleagues, quoted by AFP, he was placed in police custody.
Abou accused the government of being behind an attempt to burn down his premises on 15 April. Last Thursday, the finance ministry threatened to close down 11 newspapers if they failed to pay outstanding taxes before Tuesday of this week.
Opposition demands free speech
Two Nigerien opposition parties, in a statement on Sunday, called for full freedom of the press and the immediate and unconditional release of Mamane Abou, AFP reported. The Convention democrate et sociale (CDS) led by former President Mahamane Ousmane also pressed for the immediate reopening of the private radio station, Anfani, closed down for broadcasting an anti-censorship statement. The executive committee of the Parti nigerien pour la democratie et le socialisme (PNDS) also demanded the unconditional release of all persons arrested as well as respect of free speech. Keita Souleymane, a journalist from the BBC's Hausa service, is still being held.
CAMEROON: Government denies Nigerian allegations
The Cameroonian government on Saturday denied Nigerian allegations that it was massing troops on the disputed Bakassi peninsula, according to AFP. A foreign ministry statement said the accusations were aimed at "conditioning public opinion for a future Nigerian attack". However, informed sources, quoted by AFP, said troop reinforcement had been deployed to the disputed peninsula. The Nigerian defence ministry charged last week that some 2,000 soldiers had been sent to the Bakassi peninsula in violation of an International Court of Justice (ICJ) resolution.
In March 1996, the ICJ ordered both sides to refrain from all military activities until it had made a substantive ruling.
Abidjan, 11 May 1998, 20:00 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: Mon, 11 May 1998 20:42:50 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN-West Africa Update 204, 98.5.11 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980511203355.27653A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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