| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
Department of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network
for West Africa
Tel: +225 21-63-35
Fax: +225 21-63-35
e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci
IRIN-WA Daily Media Update 54-97 of Events in West Africa, 29 September 1997
[As a supplement to its weekly round-ups of main events in West Africa, IRIN-WA will produce a daily synopsis of international media reports on the region. IRIN issues these reports for the benefit of the humanitarian community but accepts no responsibility as to the accuracy of the original source.]
SIERRA LEONE: AFRC warns it will defend its ports
Sierra Leonean military officials said yesterday (Monday) that they were ready to defend their ports against ECOMOG attacks. Major Johnny Paul Koroma, leader of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), said that it would react "positively" to any ECOMOG attempt to take over the two major ports in Freetown or any another port along the coast. ECOMOG Field Commander in Sierra Leone, Colonel Max Khobe, announced on Sunday that he would use force to implement the regional embargo. No date was given as to when this would take place. Khobe said ECOMOG would police the length and breadth of Sierra Leone's territorial waters to make sure that not "even canoes" got through its net. The main commercial port in the east of Freetown has been heavily fortified with Sierra Leonean anti-aircraft guns since ECOMOG attacks earlier this month. The second port, located in the heart of the business district, is the base of Sierra Leone's small naval wing. Source: AFP.
ECOMOG calls on the AFRC to step down
ECOMOG Field Commander Colonel Max Khobe called on Saturday for the AFRC to step down. In an interview broadcast on the pro-Kabbah clandestine radio, Khobe said that AFRC members and soldiers who surrendered to ECOMOG would come under its protection. He told soldiers that arrangements could be made if they wished "to leave the country even before Kabbah came back", AFP reported. Khobe said that ECOWAS would "be happier if there was no bloodshed, and power was returned to the legitimate owner." If the AFRC rejected ECOMOG's offer, military enforcement would be seriously considered. Civilians were reassured that they would not be harmed unless they were near military targets. Khobe called on residents to leave those areas where ECOMOG was engaged, particularly the port area.
Sierra Leonean journalist Fouri Fofana told IRIN that to date approximately 494 soldiers had surrendered to ECOMOG and were presently under ECOMOG protection. Fofana reported deep dissensions in the AFRC over a response to ECOMOG's numerous calls to revert power to Kabbah. Source: AFP and IRIN.
Mounting crime strikes terror in Freetown
Crime has escalated in Freetown since the May coup d'etat. Residents in the capital, whose population has dwindled from 1.5 million to nearly half this figure, live in perpetual fear, AFP reported. Local human right organisations have linked the crime wave to the military coup, when over 600 maximum security prisoners were set free. Concerned residents have also accused recalcitrant soldiers, former rebels and sacked policemen of responsibility for the series of murders and burglaries. There is growing evidence of a strong civilian involvement. Military leaders have also conceded that mass recruitment and hasty enlistment of dubious characters into the army at the beginning of the war in 1992 has contributed to the crime rate. At the same time, those who were demobilised were not required to hand in their weapons or uniforms. Source: AFP.
LIBERIA: Taylor meets Abacha and Qadhafi
Liberian President Charles Taylor left Abuja on Sunday for Tripoli after a two-day stop-over in Nigeria. Taylor and Nigerian head of state General Sani Abacha held talks on bilateral relations and the Sierra Leone situation. Taylor proceeded to Libya, where his counterpart hailed him as one of the "prominent" revolutionaries and fighters in Africa, Libyan state radio reported. Source: PANA and Libyan TV via BBC Monitoring.
Taylor submits interim budget
Liberian president, Charles Taylor submitted an interim budget to parliament on Friday. The interim budget, estimated at some US$ 12 million, will cover the period from 1 September to 31 December 1997. No information was available on the allocation of funds to various government ministries and agencies. Taylor has requested that the budget cover arrears owed to civil servants, logistics and development projects. The budget will be funded from revenues, including customs, excise taxes and the maritime fund. Source: AFP.
SENEGAL: Eleven killed in attack
Eleven people were killed, four wounded and two disappeared on Saturday during an attack on a fishing village in Casamance. The assailants, reportedly belonging to the separatist group le Mouvement des Forces Democratiques de Casamance (MFDC), attacked Diogue, a fishing village in Casamance. Most victims drowned as they attempted to flee in a canoe. Some villagers were able to swim to safety. Eyewitnesses said that some 20 rebels looted US$ 26,000 worth of goods during their raid. According to Radio France Internationale, Diogue was a thriving fishing village. It had received funding from various aid agencies to improve fishing and commercial methods. AFP reported that many people were fleeing that area for Ziguinchor, the provincial capital of Casamance. However, Madore Fall, a Senegalese reporter with the 'Le Sud Quotidien' daily, said that population movement had stabilised since the Senegalese army was deployed to the area. He also told IRIN that it was extremely difficult to attribute any attack to the MFDC since it hardly ever made any statements. Eyewitness accounts were the most reliable source of information on the perpetrators. Source: AFP, RFI and IRIN.
SENEGAL: Government rejects AI's report
The Senegalese government and nine opposition parties have rejected the Amnesty International report on human rights violations in Casamance. The AI report released on Friday documented summary executions and abductions allegedly by the Senegalese security forces since July. Senegalese Defence Minister Jacques Baudin said on Africa No 1 that these allegations were "pure fabrication". He said that AI put together a report after an eight-day mission in the region which did not "reflect reality on the ground", 'Le Soleil' reported. However, the government is considering whether to hold an inquiry into allegations of murder and torture. It dismissed Casamance independence claims. Nine opposition parties also rejected AI's report, claiming that it was unbalanced. They said the report did not mention the numerous civilians killed by the rebel group. Other local sources have condemned the report for its bias. The AI report also accused the rebel MFDC of arbitrary killings. Source:'Le Soleil', AFP, Africa No 1 via BBC Monitoring and IRIN.
GUINEA: One thousand displaced in land dispute
A land dispute between two villages in northeast Guinea erupted into fighting on Saturday. One person was killed, 12 were seriously wounded and 1,000 fled the villages of Seke and Bidika, 550 km northeast of Conakry. 246 huts and 11 granaries were destroyed. Several people, including the ringleaders, were arrested by police. Source: AFP.
MALI: Konare addresses government
Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare, on Saturday, called on his new government to start a dialogue with the political establishment. Addressing the first meeting of the new government, Konare said that the government was not a transitional government and was not based on ethnic, religious or regional considerations. Its success would be measured by its capacity to respond to challenges such as the eradication of poverty, unemployment, health and education. Source: AFP and RTM radio via BBC Monitoring.
NIGERIA: 25 arrested in Warri
Twenty-five people of the Ijaw community were arrested on Sunday. In a statement, a group calling itself the "Ijaws of Warri", accused the Itsekiris of conniving with security forces in arresting the 25 Ijaws, Reuters reported. The statement called for an end to all harassment of defenceless Ijaws by "purported military personnel" aided an abetted by the Itsekiris. Security forces confirmed that a number of people had been detained but gave no further details. Scores of people died earlier this year in clashes between the Ijaws and the Itsekiris over the relocation of local government headquarters. Source: Reuters.
Clinton nominates new US envoy
William Twaddell has been nominated US ambassador to Nigeria. A White House statement said Twaddell, a career diplomat and an expert in African affairs, was nominated by President Bill Clinton. Source: PANA.
Abidjan, 29 September 1997
[Ends]
[Via the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa (IRIN-WA) Reports mailing list. The material contained in this communication may not necessarily reflect the views of the UN or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts from this report should be attributed to the original sources where appropriate. For further information: e-mail irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci, Tel: +225 217367 Fax:+225 216335.]
Message-Id: <199709300645.JAA06437@dha.unon.org> Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 09:44:31 +0300 From: UN DHA IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci> Subject: IRIN-WA Daily Media Update 54-97 for 29 Sep 1997 97.9.29
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
| Previous Menu | Home Page | What's New | Search | Country Specific |