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IRIN-WA Update 443 of events in West Africa (Thursday 15 April)
NIGERIA: Human rights group concerned about constitution
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Nigeria's main human rights group, said on Wednesday it was worried the military government could give new constitutional powers to armed forces chiefs to prevent a return to genuine democracy, news organisations reported.
It condemned the process whereby the military was drawing
up the constitution behind closed doors and called
on the military head of state, General Abdulsalami
Abubakar, to release the constitution immediately,
news reports said.
"It is our fear that the military government is
working on handing over to Nigerians on 29 May, a constitution
doctored and manipulated to include undemocratic provisions,"
Reuters quoted the TMG as saying. It was also worried
that the constitution would include a clause limiting
the future government's authority over the armed forces.
Abubakar has denied these allegations, the BBC said.
Earlier this week, Abubakar said the constitution would be released later this month.
Reports in the local media have said that the heads of Nigeria's armed forces were reluctant to give up their jobs when Nigeria returns to civilian rule on 29 May.
SIERRA LEONE: ECOWAS chiefs meet in Abuja
The chiefs of staff of four West African countries with troops serving with the ECOMOG peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, met in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday to discuss financial and logistical issues.
PANA news agency, quoting a statement by the Economic Community of African States (ECOWAS), said the one-day meeting would also discuss the relationship between ECOWAS and the ECOMOG high command, command and control of participating troops and rules of engagement.
Other issues on the agenda included contributions to training and development of the armed forces of Sierra Leone and alleged reports of human rights abuses by ECOMOG soldiers.
ECOMOG was set up in 1990 by ECOWAS and relocated to Freetown after the seven year civil war in Liberia. It is currently made up of some 10,000 troops from Ghana, Guinea, and Mali with Nigeria supplying the largest contingent.
RUF leader Sankoh to travel to Togo for talks
Meanwhile the court of appeal in the capital Freetown has granted the Sierra Leone government's request for Foday Sankoh, leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel movement to travel to Togo for talks with his rebel commanders, according to news reports on Thursday.
The meeting aimed to pave the way for peace talks between the Sierra Leone government and rebels.
Sankoh has been in detention since he was picked up on arms offences in Nigeria in early 1997, AFP said.
NIGER: Wanke's first television appearance following coup
Major Daouda Mallam Wanke, the new military leader of Niger, has made his first television appearance since last week's coup, news organisations reported on Thursday.
Clad in a combat uniform with a gun in his belt and accompanied by soldiers, he was shown visiting a colleague who was injured last Friday when members of the presidential protection unit Wanke commanded gunned down President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara. In the brief appearance, he made no public announcement.
Mainassara's family given refuge in Senegal
Meanwhile, news organisations reported that Mainassara's widow, Clemence and five of her children who had sought refuge in the French embassy, had been granted asylum in Senegal. The reports said that President Abdou Diouf of Senegal had chartered an aircraft for the Mainassara family.
French aid tied to transition to civilian rule
After stopping all aid and military cooperation with Niger this week, the French government said it would only reconsider if Wanke shows commitment to his pledge earlier this week to return the country to civilian rule after a nine-month transition.
News agencies quoted Charles Josselin, the French cooperation minister, as saying Paris was in no hurry to restore ties and wanted to see an election timetable and proof of an agreement among political groups on the organisation of an election.
Earlier this week, the European Union (EU) "strongly condemned" the coup and said in a statement it would "review" its cooperation with Niger.
CAMEROON: Anglophone dissidents to be tried
A group of 67 anglophone dissidents appeared briefly before a military court in the Cameroon capital Yaounde on Wednesday on charges attempting an armed insurrection two years ago, AFP reported.
It quoted sources at the tribunal as saying the attacks during a four-day period in March, 1997, occurred in the northwest anglophone province when the 67 armed with automatic weapons attacked two police stations and the home of a police chief in the area.
They were not asked to plead and were remanded to appear for trial on 25 May.
WEST AFRICA: UNHCR relocates refugees in Guinea
UNHCR said it had started relocating 50,000 Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees from six camps near the Sierra Leone border to safer locations further inland.
A UNHCR spokesman told IRIN on Thursday that the US $4 million operation had started on Monday and was expected to take up to four months. The six camps being vacated at Dakongo, Yaegbadou, Konin, Sowadou, Komandou and Gelema were considered vulnerable to rebel attacks and infiltration. He said the government had expressed its concern about the situation during a recent visit by Sadako Ogata, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Abou Moussa, UNHCR Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said: "The decision to relocate the refugees corresponds with the wish of the Guinean authorities and UNHCR to avoid casualties among refugees during violent incursions by rebels from Sierra Leone." The transfer was in conformity with the OAU convention on refugees which recommends settlements 50 km from the nearest border, he added.
The refugees would be housed in Katkama in Gueckedou prefecture in southwest Guinea. The spokesman said there was a total of about 350,000 Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea of whom about 210,000 are already in Gueckedou area. Most fled last year when rebels, expelled from the capital Freetown, went on the rampage with a campaign of amputations and mutilation in the countryside.
Sahel summit
The Community of Sahel and Saharan States (COMESSA) this week barred the Niger government from a summit meeting in Sirte, eastern Libya, following the assassination of President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara in a military coup last Friday.
News organisations said the Libyan leader, Moammar Kadhafi, who chaired the summit which opened on Wednesday, called for a minute's silence in memory of Mainassara.
The COMESSA summit meeting is being attended by Presidents
Alpha Omar Konare of Mali, Blaise Compaore of Burkina
Faso, Alpha Omar Konare of Mali, Omar Bashir of Sudan
and Idriss Derby of Chad with Presidents Ange-Felix
Patasse of Central African Republic and Isaias Afewerki
of Eritrea present as observers.
Abidjan, 15 April, 1999 1700 GMT
[ENDS]
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 17:24:12 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.ocha.unon.org> Subject: WEST AFRICA: IRIN Update 443 for 15 April [19990415]
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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