UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
IRIN-West Africa Update 251, 98.7.15

IRIN-West Africa Update 251, 98.7.15


U N I T E D N A T I O N S Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa

Tel: +225 21-73-54 Fax: +225 21-63-35 e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci

IRIN-WA Update 251 of Events in West Africa, (Wednesday) 15 July 1998

GUINEA BISSAU: Frustration at stalled peace talks

Two senior Portuguese officials expressed their frustration on Wednesday that efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to the six-week battle between Senegalese-backed government forces and the leader of an army rebellion had so far proven fruitless.

Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, according to Portuguese media reports, said a further mediation strategy would be planned later in the week when the seven nations in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries meet to discuss the crisis in Cape Verde. The nations are Portugal, Brasil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome e Principe. "We are always ready," Guterres was quoted as saying. "But the two sides don't want to make peace right now."

Like Guterres, the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Jaime Gama, has repeatedly tried at meetings with Guinea Bissau's president, Joao Bernardo Vieira and rebel army general Ansumane Mane to get them to stop the daily shelling which has largely destroyed the capital and, according the UN, put an estimated 350,000 people to flight.

"It is simply not possible to get a ceasefire in Guinea Bissau right now because the logic of war has not yet ceded to the logic of peace," he said in interview with Portuguese Antena 1 Radio. Even during meetings with representatives of both sides aboard a Portuguese frigate in Bissau harbour, Gama said the shooting had not stopped. "Naturally we all work for peace, but it is necessary that everyone wants peace." Since the rebellion started on 7 June, the governments of The Gambia and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have also dispatched envoys to try and mediate an end to the fighting.

UN base established

In the deadlocked artillery battle for the rebel-held Bra army headquarters and the international airport, there have been no overall casualty figures. But these are now believed to be in the thousands. Meanwhile, the UN said it had established a base in the second city, Bafata, from where emergency WFP food supplies would be distributed in coordination with the ICRC and other NGOs.

Missionaries "appalled"

But, in a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Catholic missionaries said more had to be done to alleviate the suffering of displaced people. According to a report on Wednesday of the Vatican's Missionary News Agency (MISNA), it said: "The intention of this letter is to focus the United Nations undivided attention on, to put it mildly, the "apocalyptic drama that is degenerating by the hour." The letter was jointly signed on behalf of the Committee of the Religious Congregations and International Human Rights Organisations in Guinea Bissau.

Saying it was "almost a certainty that thousands will die" from cholera, malaria and meningitis, the letter also said: "Our Committee is appalled by the complete indifference of the international community which seems to evaluate the crisis in Guinea Bissau from a political point of view obviously disregarding the serious humanitarian drama."

The missionaries also appealed to the UN to ensure that international borders are opened so as to enable humanitarian assistance into the country. Last week, Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees had asked President Abdou Diouf of Senegal to open his border with Guinea Bissau. Media reports on Tuesday said Dakar had complied.

NIGERIA: New leader meets opposition

The Nigerian military leader, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, met with leaders of the main opposition group, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) to discuss the country's political future, news organisations reported on Wednesday. NADECO's chairman, Abraham Adesanya, said after the meeting that the opposition had proposed the formation of a government of national unity. He said no agreement had been reached, but Abubakar had promised to consider the opposition's views. No further information was available. Analysts, quoted by the BBC, said while opposition groups in the southwest have called for a government of national unity, politicians in the north want fresh elections.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee of Nigeria (JACON), a coalition of 55 opposition groups, announced that it would not take part in a transition programme to democratic rule, Radio station Africa no. 1 said. Gani Fawehinmi, JACON coordinator, called for a definitive end to military rule by 1 October 1998 and the establishment of a civilian government paving the way for fresh elections.

Fuel shortage grounds planes

The fuel shortage in Nigeria has affected both domestic and international flights, AFP reported on Wednesday, quoting airport officials. Dozens of flights have been cancelled in the last few days following crippling fuel shortages. On Monday, two oil tanker drivers were killed and several injured in a brawl over petrol at one of Lagos's main oil depot.

Nigeria has been facing a chronic fuel shortage in the last year even though it is the sixth oil-producer in the world.

French Minister to visit

French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin would meet with Abubakar in Nigeria in the next few days during a "political and diplomatic" visit, AFP reported on Wednesday.

SIERRA LEONE: ECOMOG troops due to arrive

The West African military intervention force, ECOMOG, has started transferring more soldiers from Liberia to Sierra Leone to help crush the rebel insurrection in the north and the east, the BBC reported on Tuesday. There are no further details on the number of troops to be deployed. On Wednesday, ECOMOG Force Commander General Timothy Shelpidi was in Sierra Leone reviewing the operations, IRIN was told.

According to a senior Nigerian officer in Sierra Leone, quoted by the BBC, ECOMOG soldiers have been closing in on the rebels in northern and eastern Sierra Leone. However, these rebel fighters are putting up stiff resistance.

WFP resumes food deliveries

WFP announced on Tuesday it had resumed the delivery of food aid to some 130,000 Sierra Leoneans refugees in Guinea after a one-month interruption following a travel ban, a WFP statement said. Some 45,000 refugees said to be at a "great risk" were expected to receive the first consignment of food. The travel ban imposed by the Guinean authorities in mid-June following military incidents along the Guinea-Sierra Leone border was lifted last weekend. An UN and NGO inter-agency assessment mission noted last week that signs of malnutrition were clearly visible among children and some adult refugees, the statement added.

The travel ban was imposed as a security measure to help prevent cross-border attacks by Sierra Leone rebels loyal to the ousted Sierra Leonean military government, the BBC said.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: AI calls for commutation of death sentences

Amnesty International has said 11 political prisoners sentenced to death in Equatorial Guinea on 1 June were condemned to a "slow death" by appalling prison conditions and near starvation. "If nothing is done immediately to improve conditions many could die without even needing to execute them," the statement added earlier in the week.

Eleven persons were sentenced to death on charges of terrorism and threatening the state security in January. The case arises out of alleged attacks in the Bioko Island, which claimed nine lives in January. The government blamed the attacks on the separatist Movimento para la Autodeterminacion de la Isla de Bioko (MAIB).

Opposition criticised for lack of maturity, government

The government of Equatorial Guinea criticised the lack of "political maturity" displayed by opposition leaders, who have accused it of allegedly preparing fraudulent parliamentary elections, AFP reported on Tuesday, quoting Radio Malabo. Reacting to the reports, President Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea reaffirmed the government's commitment to abide by an agreement signed with the opposition on the full participation of all political parties in the electoral process.

The main opposition party, Union Populaire (UP), accused the government of expelling 50 officials from various electoral boards in the opposition stronghold in the province of Kie-Ntem.

Abidjan, 15 July 1998 1810 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: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 18:07:40 +0000 (GMT) Subject: IRIN-West Africa Update 251, 98.7.15

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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