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IRIN-WA Update 424 of events in West Africa (Wednesday
17 March)
AFRICA: Commission's woes unlikely to affect emergency
work, EC says
The collective resignation of the European Commission will not affect current or future humanitarian aid programmes, according to an EU official statement sent today (Wednesday) to IRIN by the EC office in Abidjan. "The community's executive and its representations in third countries will continue to carry out their activities as normal," the statement said.
The twenty commissioners resigned en masse yesterday (Tuesday) after a group of independent experts accused them of turning a blind eye to fraud and favouritism and of losing control of the massive bureaucracy in Brussels, news organisations reported.
HEALTH: Governments urged to strengthen health care framework
Delegations from 43 African and other developing countries have urged governments to "develop a strong national framework for providing basic health services..."
This framework should include "an essential package of care adapted to the current priorities, particularly HIV/AIDS, maternal and neonatal mortality, malaria, malnutrition, tuberculosis," delegates at the "Review of the implementation of the Bamako Initiative' recommended.
The 8-12 March meeting, held in Bamako, Mali, also called on governments "to strengthen the strategies for empowering individuals and families, with particular focus on women and young people, to acquire healthy behaviours and to increase the capacities of communities for managing basic health services and dealing with health and well-being".
The Bamako Initiative was lauched 12 years ago with the aim of improving the quality of and access to health care in developing nations. Under the initiative, health centres have been provided for an additional 60 million people in Africa, according to a news release from the meeting, co-sponsored by UNICEF, WHO and the Malian government.
However, many people still do not have full access to primary health care. Major constraints include high attrition rates among health workers, and the scarcity of human resources in this field, which are "often poorly distributed and perform badly".
The more than 200 participants in the meeting, who included representatives of international organisations, recommended "strong national policy for human resource development" and increased budgetary allocations for health care.
SIERRA LEONE: Sankoh's appeal to go ahead
Sierra Leone's Attorney General and Justice Minister, Solomon Barewa, announced yesterday (Tuesday) that the hearing of rebel leader Foday Sankoh's appeal against a death sentence would go ahead, despite moves for his release, news organisations reported.
"We have put all the legal records in place for Corporal Foday Sankoh's appeal to start within two weeks," Reuters reported Barewa as saying.
Only last week, news reports had quoted President Ahmed
Tejan Kabbah as saying: "If I have to use my clemency
to release Sankoh in order to bring a lasting solution
to my country, I will do that."
However, in his statement, Barewa suggested that the
legal process would not be set aside in favour of any
negotiations to pardon Sankoh. "When and after
the process of law has prevailed then any further action
to pardon Sankoh can take place," Reuters reported
Barewa as saying.
The High Court sentenced Sankoh to death last October for his role in the coup d'etat which ousted Kabbah from power in May 1997.
Sierra Leone: Concern over plight of IDP's
There is some concern about the plight of internally displaced persons IDPs) in parts of Sierra Leone not serviced by humanitarian agencies, according to a report received today by IRIN.
The concern was expressed by ECOMOG at a meeting on Monday with the UN Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit (HACU), the unit said in the report.
It said there were about 3.000 displaced people in Bumbuna, northwest of Makeni, and some 5,000 on Banana Island near Freetown. More than 20,000 IDP's, it added, were said to be in a "desperate condition" after recent rebel raids on Kambia town and Pamelap in the northwest, where most aid agencies had based their operations.
A food distribution operation scheduled to begin on 8 March was postponed due to the insecurity, the HACU report said.
Measles continues to pose threat
A measles outbreak in the east of the country continues to pose serious danger, the report said. By 13 March, the number of cases between Blama and Kenema had increased to 644. About 94 of these cases originated from Kailahun, which has not been accessible to humanitarian organisations for nearly 10 years, the report said.
Since the outbreak in mid-February, up to 50 deaths have been recorded in the district. UNICEF, supported by health NGO's, has immunised over 34,000 children in Bo, Kenema, Blama and the surrounding villages, HACU reported.
IRC says demobilised soldiers in urgent need of food and shelter
The situation of approximately 1,220 surrendered Sierra Leonean Army soldiers camped at the Mammy Yoko Heliport is "deplorable", according to the Sierra Leone's Inter-Religious Council (IRC). The IRC, following a visit to the camp, said there was little or no provision there for shelter, food, non-food items or health services, HACU reported.
According to the HACU report, the IRC has asked the government of Sierra Leone and humanitarian agencies to attend to the needs of the demobilised soldiers and their families as "a matter of urgency."
GUINEA: Thirteen opposition leaders freed
The Guinea government yesterday freed 13 opposition politicians, four of them parliamentarians, after they served close to three of the four months in prison to which they had been sentenced for threatening public order, an opposition politician told IRIN today.
"This will not reduce the political tension so long as (RPG leader Alpha) Conde remains in prison," Sekou Coumbassa, a member of the Central Committee of the Rassemblement du peuple de Guinee (RPG) said.
The freed politicians, all RPG members, were arrested on 16 December after demonstrations against Conde's detention.
Conde, who ran and lost the presidential election of 14 December against incumbent Lansana Conte, has been on a hunger strike since the beginning of March in protest against his detention.
Coumbassa said the court reduced the sentence of the politicians, who served two months and three weeks in prison. However, it remains unclear whether or not they were freed early because of international appeals, which have also been made for Conde's release.
Coumbassa said the politicians' release, coming two days before a parliamentary commission was due to present a resolution demanding the politicians' freedom and that of Conde, was meant to isolate Conde who is accused of recruiting mercenaries to overthrow the government.
"If the resolution is not passed, the RPG will not occupy its seats in parliament and will ask other opposition parties to do likewise," Coumbassa told IRIN.
SENEGAL: Retired army general appointed ambassador to Bissau
Senegal's President Abdou Diouf has appointed a retired
army general, Mamadou Niang, as ambassador to Guinea
Bissau, PANA reported today.
Niang headed the National Elections Observatory, which
supervised the May 1998 parliamentary polls and January
senate elections. His appointment was announced after
a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday in the wake of the
return of Senegalese troops from Guinea Bissau.
Senegalese forces had been sent in June to Guinea Bissau
to help President Joao Bernardo Vieira against army
mutineers.
According to PANA, the Senegalese troops, who on Tuesday
completed their withdrawal from Bissau, have now been
posted in Ziguinchor, southern Senegal, where separatists
have been fighting government forces since 1982.
Abidjan, 17 March 1999, 19:05 GMT
[ENDS]
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 19:14:54 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.ocha.unon.org> Subject: WEST AFRICA: IRIN Update 424 for 17 March [19990317]
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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