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GUINEA BISSAU: Bissau under siege
After 16 days of fighting, there is reportedly a stalemate in a showdown between forces loyal to President Joao Bernardo Vieira backed by Senegalese troops and army rebels lodged in strongholds overlooking the capital, Bissau, news agencies reported on Tuesday. According to the Portuguese daily, 'Publico', the rebels have surrounded Bissau, which has been effectively under siege, isolating government forces and their allies in the capital. "Government forces and their allies do not seem capable of capturing Bra (the military complex) but the rebels do not appear to have the capacity to advance on the city", Portuguese radio Antena 1 reported.
Gambian president Yahya Jammeh said on Monday the army rebellion was a direct consequence of the separatist war going on in Casamance, the southern province of Senegal, according to AFP. Jammeh regretted that the matter had not been brought up at a World Bank meeting in Dakar gathering a large number of heads of state from Western and Central Africa. "Unfortunately this is an issue some of us did not want to discuss and it was not brought up," Jammeh noted. In a related development, the prime minister of Cape Verde, Carlos Veiga, said he would lead another mediation attempt if an effective ceasefire were in place and humanitarian aid allowed into the country.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Jose Zamorra Induta, a close associate to Ansumane Mane, the rebel leader, reiterated the rebels' interest in a negotiated solution through dialogue, news agencies reported.
France accused of supporting Senegal
In a communique signed by Mane, the rebels accused France of connivance in the military intervention by Senegal and Guinea (Conakry) in the conflict, the Portuguese daily 'Jornal de Noticias' reported, quoting Lusa news agency on Monday. Mane called on France to demand that the Senegalese and Guinean governments withdraw their troops from Guinea Bissau. But the French ambassador in Bissau, Francois Chappellet, said the mutiny was an internal matter with no intervention by France, Radio France Internationale reported on Monday.
In a related development, the BBC reported on Monday that the rebel radio station in Bissau condemned the Senegalese forces as an "invasion force" supporting what it described as an "illegitimate government".
Plea to allow humanitarian aid in country
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres appealed on Monday for increased security in Guinea Bissau to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian assistance, AFP reported. "Our main concern at the moment is that security and operational conditions be created to allow humanitarian aid, which is ready and available, to reach the population effectively," he said. Humanitarian sources told IRIN that mechanisms for accessing areas in Guinea Bissau were under discussion. The border between Senegal and Guinea Bissau still remains closed, preventing any movement of goods and people between the two countries.
Meanwhile, a Portuguese frigate left Cape Verde on Monday carrying 17 mt of food and medicine. Guinea Bissau Foreign Minister Delfim da Silva, quoted by AFP, strongly ruled out the use of the airport for aid deliveries. The airport has been under rebel control since the beginning of the mutiny on 7 June.
A WFP report said on Tuesday the ICRC had distributed 14 mt of food to hospitals in Bissau through church groups to a total of 3,500 people. The ICRC also reported a concentration of about 100,000 displaced people from the capital near Mansoa, 60 km north of Bissau. There are currently no food aid stocks available outside of Bissau to assist these people.
The Church World Service (CWS), in a statement on Monday, said it had provided milk powder, fruit and biscuits to some 600 refugees until recently camped at Dakar airport. The Red Cross provided blankets.
Refugees stranded on Bijagos islands
Some 7,000 people, who fled fighting in Guinea Bissau, have been stranded on Bijagos island, off the coast of the mainland, without sufficient food, water or medical supplies, the BBC reported on Monday. Relief workers coordinating assistance with the government of Guinea Bissau were planning to send rice and corned beef by boat, but these plans have been suspended because of choppy waters. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that another 150,000 people had fled Bissau for the north of the country.
NIGERIA: Government holds talks with Abiola
Representatives of the new Nigerian military government have been holding talks with the detained politician, Chief Moshood Abiola, according to the BBC on Tuesday. Diplomatic and government sources said the meeting with Abiola, the presumed winner of 1993 elections, took place last week. Though the subject of the meeting was not made public, there is speculation that the government is negotiating his release. According to the BBC, Abiola's continued detention has been a major reason for Nigeria's international isolation. If he were to be released, it is expected that some sanctions would be lifted. He was jailed in 1994 for treason after he declared himself president.
Abiola's supporters want him to lead a transitional government, which would move the country towards a lasting democracy, the BBC said.
New leader meets human rights leader
New Nigerian leader, General Adbulsalam Abubakar, promised human rights leaders that his regime would protect human rights and bring about genuine democracy in Nigeria, news agencies reported on Monday. "My priority is to enthrone genuine democracy to Nigeria in addition to building a society that will be rid of human rights abuses" he was quoted as saying. A document presented to Abubakar by a delegation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) called for a review of laws in Nigeria to conform with international human rights standards, the repeal of harsh decrees on detention, and the release of prisoners who have served their jail terms, Radio Nigeria said. AFP quoted Abubakar as saying that plans were under way to convene a special meeting to review the cases of other detainees.
TOGO: EU cites procedural problems in polls
A European Union (EU) delegation said on Monday there had been "procedural problems" with Sunday's presidential elections in Togo, news agencies reported. In a statement, the EU observers said there had been problems linked to procedures and full participation of voters following problems with the distribution of voter cards. "Polling took place in a fairly calm atmosphere and did not seem to be marked by violent acts or intimidation," the statement added.
SIERRA LEONE: ECOMOG chief tours country
The Force Commander of the West African intervention force, Major General Timothy Shelpidi, returned on Monday to Monrovia after a four-day working visit to Sierra Leone, according to an ECOMOG statement. Addressing more than 4,000 surrendered soldiers encamped at the Lungi military garrison, Shelpidi told them that ECOMOG would assist in "retraining the soldiers after proper screening". Those who had passed the mandatory age limit would not be enlisted.
Meanwhile, the US government provided ECOMOG with helicopters and communications equipment worth nearly US$ 4 million to boost ECOMOG's capacities to flush out the rebels from north-eastern Sierra Leone, the BBC reported on Monday.
WEST AFRICA: World Bank boss discusses development
Seventeen African leaders met World Bank President James Wolfensohn on Sunday for an informal summit in Dakar, Senegal, devoted to development issues, news agencies reported. Although there was no set agenda for the one-day talks, globalisation, regional integration and management of natural resources featured in the discussions.
Abidjan, 23 June 1998, 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/ or can be retrieved automatically by sending e-mail to archive@dha.unon.org . Mailing list: irin-wa-updates]
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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