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IRIN-WA Update 215 of Events in West Africa, (Tuesday) 26 May 1998
SIERRA LEONE: ECOMOG bombs rebel hideouts
Aircraft of the West African intervention force, ECOMOG, have been conducting daily bombing raids on rebel strongholds in Sierra Leone to flush out ousted military junta supporters accused of committing widespread atrocities. ECOMOG Force Commander, Major General Timothy Shelpidi, told IRIN on Tuesday that the daily raids had been going on for "some time", but he declined to be more precise.
Areas targeted so far, were mainly between the towns of Makeni and Kabala in central Sierra Leone. Shelpidi said ECOMOG had no details on the number of casualties sustained by the rebels, whose campaign of mutilating civilians has been described by Amnesty International as among the "worst atrocities of their kind in Africa".
Shelpidi also said he had received reports that the rebel fighters were running out of supplies and ammunition, and were raiding villages to sustain themselves.
Surrendering fighters to be treated as POWs
Shelpidi also said an undisclosed number of fighters were surrendering to the Nigerian-led intervention force. He also reiterated an appeal to the fighters to lay down their arms, reminding them that they would be treated in accordance with international conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war.
Weekend raid
Meanwhile, AFP quoting local journalists, reported that some 48 rebels were killed during an ECOMOG bombing raid on Sunday near the northeastern town of Gbaray.
The dispatch said ECOMOG attacked when it found out the fighters had repeatedly attacked "civilian settlements". It added that 60 rebels had surrendered to ECOMOG.
SENEGAL: Opposition will not recognise election
Senegal's main opposition group, the Parti Democratique Senegalais (PDS), said on Tuesday that it would refuse to recognise the outcome of Sunday's nationwide parliamentary election, news organisations reported.
With the election results still to be announced later in the week, PDS leader Abdoulaye Wade cited "multiple fraud" of the ruling Parti Socialiste (PS) which has governed the country since independence in 1960. "We have decided to reject the elections because of massive use of money and government facilities by the PS," Reuters quoted Wade as saying. He also said he would be consulting with other opposition parties on whether to call fresh elections "supervised by the United Nations".
Early results
As early results came in Monday and Tuesday, news organisations said trends showed that the new political party, the Renouveau Democratique (RD), was emerging as a major political force in Senegal. The party is led by Djibo Ka, a former foreign minister and onetime ally of President Abdou Diouf who led a breakaway from the PS. But media reports said it was still too early tell whether the PS grip on power would be dented.
Japanese aid
Japan has granted Senegal an aid package worth FFr 195 million ($33 million) AFP reported on Tuesday. Quoting a government statement it FFr 130 million of the package would be allocated to the construction of 500 primary school classrooms. The remaining FFr 65 million was set aside for water projects.
NIGERIA: Abacha to decide on candidacy soon
The Nigerian leader, General Sani Abacha, is expected to announce soon whether he will accept his nomination as sole presidential candidate by the country's five registered political parties, news reports said on Monday. According to Radio Nigeria, a special advisor to Abacha, Laz Unaogu, gave no further details when he made the announcement to a delegation of Abacha supporters.
Former Nigerian leader seeks peaceful end to military rule
Meanwhile, former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, called on Nigerians to regard the Abacha transition programme as a "first step" towards civilian rule, Radio Nigeria said. He stressed the need for collective efforts to ensure a peaceful end to military rule and to build a democratic society.
CAMEROON: Human rights group condemns violations
The French-based NGO, the Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH), has called on the international community to link aid to human rights in Cameroon, AFP reported on Monday. In a report on Cameroon, the FIDH provided a list of some 59 people detained before the 1997 presidential elections who were still to be charged or released.
It also called for the release of journalist, Pius Njawe, sentenced to one year in jail for allegedly "disseminating false information" on the Cameroonian leader's health.
Last month, the FIDH called on the French President Jacques Chirac to intercede on behalf of Njawe.
GAMBIA: Government denies torture allegation
Gambia's interior ministry has denied allegations by the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) that a senior party leader detained earlier this month had fallen into coma as a result of torture, AFP said on Tuesday.
The party official, Lamin Juwara, was detained on 17 May with seven other UDP members in connection with "criminal matters". They were all alive, in good health and would stand trial, it said. Earlier, UDP leader, Ousainou Darbo, said Juwara was comatose after being tortured by members of the presidential security services. AFP said he had called on human rights organisations to press the government to let the Red Cross, his lawyers and his family visit Juwara to prove its point.
LIBERIA: Amnesty sought for Liberians
The Liberian government is seeking amnesty for 320 Liberian nationals in Cote d'Ivoire, news reports said on Monday. The Minister of Justice, Eddington Varmah, said 217 inmates were serving various sentences for crimes in Cote d'Ivoire, while another 103 were awaiting trial. Varmah said he had "fruitful discussions" with the Ivorian authorities. The Liberian daily 'The Inquirer' on Monday said Varmah would also approach other nations holding Liberian prisoners.
WEST AFRICA: African leaders to meet in Senegal
About 20 African heads of state will hold two days of talks in the Senegalese capital Dakar on 21 June with World Bank President James Wolfesohn, PANA reported on Tuesday.
It said the meeting was aimed at enabling African nations to discuss "pressing issues" with American and World Bank officials. The meeting follows a similar summit in Kampala, Uganda in January.
Senegal River transport
Senegal, Mali and Mauritania have announced plans to accelerate studies aimed at improving transportation along the Senegal River. A PANA dispatch on Tuesday said the three nations in the Senegal River Basin Development Authority were looking into the development of river transport between the Senegalese coastal city of Saint-Louis and the Malian town of Kayes 550 km upstream.
At a summit meeting in the Malian capital, Bamako, at the weekend, it said the three countries had elected the Mauritanian leader, President Maouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, chairman of the river authority.
Abidjan, 26 May 17:30 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: Tue, 26 May 1998 17:20:32 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN West Africa Update 215, 98.5 26 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.980526171249.2997A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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