| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
Tel: +225 21-63-35 Fax: +225 21-63-35 e-mail: irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci
IRIN-WA Update 82-97 of Events in West Africa, 13 November 1997
[As a supplement to its weekly round-ups of main events in West Africa, IRIN-WA will produce a daily synopsis of 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 rules out disarmament, Kabbah says no power-sharing
The ruling Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) said Thursday it would not accept the disarmament of its regular troops, while ousted president Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah dismissed any form of power-sharing. Speaking from Conakry, Guinea, Kabbah told AFP he was not interested "in that kind of compromise". An accord signed in Conakry recently between the AFRC and west African states provides for the restoration of democratic rule in Sierra Leone by next April, and states "all combatants" must be disarmed. Sierra Leone's defence ministry spokesman John Milton declared the regular army could not be disarmed "and in any case the composition of [the Nigerian-led west African peacekeeping force] ECOMOG must be reviewed before any disarmament takes place". Meanwhile, Kabbah said he did not rule out "forgiving" Foday Sankoh, leader of the ex-rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) group now allied to the AFRC. Sankoh is currently detained in Nigeria. Kabbah stated he could "consider him as a compatriot" if he "recognised his mistakes".
"Think twice" about rejecting accord, Malu warns AFRC
The ECOMOG peacekeeping force meanwhile warned the AFRC against rejecting aspects of the Conakry agreement. According to PANA news agency, ECOMOG commander General Victor Malu on Wednesday said Sierra Leone should "think twice about the implications", adding that any refusal to disarm "will be tantamount to challenging the whole world". PANA said that following talks between ECOMOG and the AFRC near Freetown on Tuesday, Malu ordered the release of some Sierra Leone prisoners of war as a goodwill gesture.
Guinea hails ECOMOG role
The government of Guinea commended ECOMOG's role in Sierra Leone and urged the troops to "utilise every means available" to ensure the restoration of constitutional rule. An ECOMOG press release, issued on Thursday, quoted Guinea's ambassador to Liberia Ibrahima Haidara Cherif as saying his country was committed to the Conakry peace accord. In the same press release, ECOMOG commander General Malu said more troops would soon be deployed in Sierra Leone to enforce the sanctions regime.
Ministry plans demobilisation of children
Sierra Leone's ministry for children's affairs said it was sending a "team of experts" to the Western area, which includes Freetown, to identify and demobilise all armed children. Sam Keister, an official involved in the project, told AFP the operation would begin on Monday and urged cooperation from paramount chiefs, police and any armed groups. He stressed it was very important for the exercise to be executed successfully.
NIGERIA: Oil wells closed in compensation-for-land row
Over 3,000 angry members of the Ekakpamre community in southern Delta state shut down 12 oil wells on Wednesday, accusing the Shell oil company of failing to pay compensation for land, AFP reported. Shell announced on Thursday it hoped the situation would be resolved in the next 24 hours after talks with Ekakpamre representatives. The Ekakpamre community says Shell has not given it compensation for land acquired to build a flow station in the region.
Thousands attend opposition gathering
Thousands of people turned out to take part in Nigeria's largest opposition gathering since the military seized power four years ago, Associated Press reported. The gathering, held on Wednesday to commemorate the late opposition leader Michael Adekunle Ajasin, was allowed to go ahead by the government of General Sani Abacha. About 6,000 people attended the meeting in a private Lagos club. Speakers paid homage to Ajasin, who died of heart failure in September, and called for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria. Ajasin was leader of the country's largest opposition group, the National Democratic Coalition.
Call for Abacha to stand alone in presidential poll
Nigeria's Minister for Special Duties Wada Nas called on the country's political parties to let military leader General Sani Abacha stand as sole candidate in next year's presidential elections. According to a BBC radio report, Nas described the idea as a power-sharing arrangement, saying the five registered political parties should share five of the other senior executive positions. Nas claimed no "credible" candidate had yet emerged for the presidency and the BBC commented there was widespread support within the parties for Abacha's candidacy. General Abacha has not yet declared whether he will contest the elections.
NIGER: Riot police put down student demos
Riot police were deployed in Niamey on Thursday as thousands of students and schoolchildren demonstrated to push demands for unpaid allowances, AFP said. The schoolchildren were also calling for more classrooms and teachers. Many classrooms - mostly straw huts - have been destroyed by rain and roaming animals. A student sit-in outside the national treasury was dispersed by tear gas and two students leaders were arrested.
Abidjan, 13 November 1997, 18:15 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-list]
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 18:32:11 +0000 (GMT) Subject: IRIN-WA Update 82-97 of Events in West Africa for 13 Nov 1997 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.971113182739.6286A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
| Previous Menu | Home Page | What's New | Search | Country Specific |