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GUINEA BISSAU: Fighting spreads inland
As the bloody military showdown between army rebels and Senegalese-backed government forces in Guinea Bissau entered its fourth week on Monday, diplomatic sources told IRIN that the fighting largely concentrated on the capital, Bissau, had now spread inland.
But international news organisations said representatives of President Joao Bernardo Vieira and General Ansumane Mane, who launched the rebellion on 7 June when a new defence chief was apppointed in his place, had however met for the first time at the weekend. The talks were held aboard a Portuguese frigate in Bissau harbour on Saturday. They were attended by the Portuguese foreign minister, Jaime Gama, and his Angolan counterpart, Venancio de Moura, who mediated.
"We are very hopeful of finding a solution," Filinto de Barros, a Vieira representative at the talks, told the Portuguese Lusa news agency. A further round of talks aboard the Vasco da Gama was scheduled for Tuesday.
Quick solution unlikey says diplomat
A senior African diplomat said that a quick end to the fighting appeared unlikely and that both sides were seeking to gain as much ground as they could ahead of a meeting on Wednesday in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, of foreign and defence ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In Dakar, the diplomats told IRIN that Senegalese forces, unable in three weeks of artillery exchanges to help the government dislodge the mutineers from the international airport or the strategic Bra barracks overlooking the city, had opened a new front from an unidentified harbour within 50 km of Bissau. Meanwhile, another source told IRIN that Senegalese aircraft had bombed two towns in northern Guinea Bissau said to be in rebel hands. The diplomatic sources said soldiers loyal to both sides were scouring the countryside for weapons and that the rebels enjoyed popular support.
UN team visits interior
With an estimated 300,000 people on the move in Guinea Bissau after fleeing the devastated capital, Bissau, a UN humanitarian assistance team on Monday visited the eastern town of Bafata to begin a three-day assessment of the crisis. A team spokesman told IRIN they would also gather detailed information for an emergency appeal.
NIGERIA: UN Secretary General visits Nigeria
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, on Monday on an "urgent mission" to meet the Nigerian authorities. A UN statement said Annan had been "much encouraged" by his discussions with the new Nigerian leader, Abdulsalam Abubakar, and by the "initial steps" he had taken. Annan said it was the right time to honour a personal invitation by Abubakar to visit Nigeria and encourage the "acceleration of a credible process that would return Nigeria to democratic civilian rule".
The Nigerian Foreign Ministry announced that Annan would remain in Nigeria from 29 June to 2 July 1998 to discuss issues of common interest to the UN and Nigeria, including the maintenance of peace and security in the West African subregion, AFP said.
Beginning of normalisation under way, Commonwealth chief
Commonwealth Secretary General Emeka Anyaoku arrived in Nigeria on Sunday for talks with Abubakar in an effort to ease tensions between the organisation and Nigeria, news agencies reported. The BBC quoted Anyaoku as saying that he had been "heartened" by Abubakar's attitude in seeking to address international concerns on democracy and human rights. Anyaoku said his visit marked "the beginning of the process of reintegrating Nigeria into the international community", Reuters reported. It constituted the first contact with the Commonwealth since November 1995, when Nigeria was suspended from it following the execution of writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight other activists.
EU envoy says more needs to be done
Meanwhile, British Foreign Office Minister Tony Lloyd also met Abubakar on Friday on behalf of the European Union (EU) and called for the release of Moshood Abiola, news agencies reported. Abiola is the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential elections. "We welcome the steps that Nigeria has taken, the political prisoners that have been freed. Obviously it's not enough yet," AFP quoted Lloyd as saying. He added that Abiola's release "would be a very significant step" towards resolving the political logjam. Lloyd said he made it clear to the Nigerian government that these changes were necessary before the EU could consider easing sanctions. The sanctions include visa restrictions on the military leadership, and an arms and sports embargo. Lloyd's visit is the first by a senior British official in more than five years..
Since taking power, Abubakar has released 27 political prisoners, including former head of state Olusegun Obasanjo, all jailed by his predecessor, General Sani Abacha. Abacha who died of a heart attack on 8 June 1998.
Opposition leaders propose "interim" government
Continuing his series of internal consultations with various segments of Nigerian society, Abubakar met a group of 34 leading Nigerian politicians and held talks at the weekend with the opposition Nigerian Democratic Coalition (NADECO), news organisations reported. The group of 34 politicians, including leaders from southern and northern Nigeria, proposed the creation of a one-year transitional government by 1 October 1998. A spokesman of the group, Jerry Gana, quoted by AFP, said the government would pave the way for nationwide elections.
But Mohammed Yusufu, a presidential candidate in Abacha's transition programme, on Sunday rejected the proposals and demanded that the military leave power on 1 October, as previously agreed, AFP reported. In a statement published in the Nigerian press, Yusufu criticised the group of 34 politicians for calling for an interim government, saying this would be "continuation of military rule". Former democratically-elected President Shehu Shagari also called on the military to step down on 1 October, AFP reported.
NADECO Chairman Abraham Adesanya told Reuters after his meeting with Abubakar he was confident Abiola would be released, adding "I think it is a question of some days."
SIERRA LEONE: Former junta "contacts" UN
The leadership of Sierra Leone's ousted military junta has written a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan blaming the Nigerian-led West African intervention force, ECOMOG, for recent atrocities, but saying it sought an end to the fighting. UN officials told IRIN on Monday that the letter, published in the local daily 'Punch' and sent to their office in the capital, Freetown appeared authentic. It was dated 10 May and appeared only to have been received in recent days, the officials said.
The letter was signed by Johnny Paul Koroma, former leader of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), Sam Bockarie, the senior battlefield commander of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and S.Y.B. Rogers, chairman of the People's War Council. Their address was given as AFRC/RUF headquarters, Kailahun District, which is in eastern Sierra Leone.
Diplomats told IRIN it appeared to constitute the first written communciation from the ousted junta leadership since the restoration of President Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah's democratically elected government in March 1998.
Nigerians blamed
In the letter, the former junta denied all responsbility for the spate of recent atrocities - described as the worst in Africa by Amnesty International. Instead it said "the Nigerians and their allies" were to blame. The letter also accused ECOMOG of burning towns and villages, such as the "diamond-rich Koidu town", and called for the release of RUF leader Foday Sankoh, who has been detained in Nigeria for over a year. In requesting "you Excellency" (Annan) "to bring the Sierra Leone crisis to a final settlement", the signatories described themselves as a "formidable group of concerned citizens with large following desiring peace and harmony".
TOGO: Authorities ban demos
The Togolese authorities on Monday banned street demonstrations after a controversial poll granted President Gnassingbe Eyadema a new five-year mandate, news agencies said. The poll results were officially announced by the ministry of interior on Saturday, confirming Eyadema's lead in the poll with 52.13 percent.
A preliminary announcement last week prompted strong criticism by the Togolese opposition and European Union (EU) election observers, who said the elections fell short of "transparency", while demonstrators took to the streets. One person died and three were injured on Friday in clashes near Lome, the capital. According to the police, quoted by AFP, Togo's border with Ghana was closed on Monday to stop any "infiltration by louts from Ghana".
MALI: Ruling party clinches 16 of 19 municipal localities
The Malian ruling party, l'Alliance pour la democratie au Mali (ADEMA), clinched 16 out of 19 municipal localities in the 21 June local elections, AFP reported on Saturday, quoting the national electoral commission. ADEMA also won a majority in the capital, Bamako.
Abidjan, 29 June 1998, 21:00 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/ 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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