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IRIN-WA Update 83-97 of Events in West Africa, Friday, 14 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 and pro-Kabbah militia clash in diamond areas
Six Sierra Leonean soldiers were killed when Kamajor militia ambushed a military convoy. Military spokesman Major John Milton told Reuters Thursday an army escort carrying an Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) member, George Adams, fought off the Kamajor militia loyal to ousted president Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah on Wednesday on the road from Tongo Field, 140 km from the capital Freetown, to Kono in the diamond area. Adams was not hurt. Clashes between the Sierra Leone soldiers and the Kamajors, in violation of last month's ceasefire, began last Monday in the diamond-rich areas in eastern Sierra Leone, according to AFP. Reuters reported a heavy build-up of Kamajors around the Tongo Fields.
ICRC Freetown told IRIN that internally displaced people from the area coming to Freetown reported Kamajor attacks on their villages in the vicinity of Tongo Fields and Kono. Their homes and harvests had been destroyed, they said. Other sources said that the fighting was over economic control of these two diamond-rich areas and the AFRC's control of the area since August was under serious threat. Local sources added Kamajor resentment at being left out of the negotiations leading to the signing of the Conakry peace plan signed last month could not be dismissed. The peace plan provides for the restoration of democratic rule and the establishment of an immediate ceasefire.
Delivery of cross-border humanitarian aid delayed
Local humanitarian sources told IRIN that the cross-border delivery of humanitarian assistance from Guinea into Sierra Leone has been delayed for a few days for administrative reasons. The Conakry peace plan called for cross-border humanitarian aid to commence on 14 November.
Ukrainian official denies arms sales
Ukraine has denied its involvement in supplying arms, in particular three jet fighters, to Sierra Leone. In an interview with the Ukrainian news agency on Thursday, Adriy Kukin, director-general of the state import-export company which also specialises in military equipment, said reports of the sale were "misinformation" aimed at denting Ukraine's reputation. Nigeria claimed on 21 October that the AFRC had ordered three jet fighters from Ukraine.
Ousted president meets Nigerian president
Kabbah arrived on Thursday in the Nigerian capital Abuja for a two-day official visit. He met his Nigerian counterpart, General Sani Abacha but no details on the talks were available.
LIBERIA: Taylor criticises press, plays down rift with ECOMOG
Liberian President Charles Taylor has criticised what he called sensationalist journalism and played down tensions between his government and the West African peacekeeping force ECOMOG, news sources reported. In a broadcast aired on Thursday, Taylor accused the press of publishing inflammatory stories on the rift between ECOMOG and the Liberian government on restructuring the national army. He also said that he did not want anyone interpreting "our constitutional exercise as throwing ECOMOG out". Taylor said ECOMOG "will be in Liberia far longer than you ever expect". Earlier this week he was reported as calling for an ECOMOG withdrawal by February. According to local sources, Taylor has come under pressure to water down his tough stance on reforming the army outside the terms of the Abuja accord which mandated ECOMOG to carry out this task.
NIGERIA: Political parties split over Abacha presidency
The five registered Nigerian political parties on Thursday were split over a proposal for Abacha to be the sole presidential candidate next year. The proposal by Minister for Special Duties Wada Nas was made earlier this week. The United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) and the National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN) told Reuters that they were in favour of Abacha standing unopposed. They had already asked Abacha to stand on behalf of their political parties and said they would accept him as a consensus candidate. David Dogoh, spokesman for the Congress for National Consensus (CNC), said that his party found the call ridiculous and said it would probably "tarnish" the credibiltiy of the ongoing transition programme to democratic rule. Opposition leaders have dismissed the political parties as "five fingers of the same leprous hand". Abacha has yet to announce his intention to run for president next year.
NIGER: Students injured in demos
At least three people were injured on Thursday when police in the capital Niamey fired teargas to break up a student demonstration. Reuters said two protesters, including student leader Maman Manzi Lawali, were arrested. AFP quoted a student union official as saying ten students had been injured in the violence. The students were pushing for payment of allowance arrears.
GAMBIA: Government denies knowledge of Mobuto gold
The Gambian government on Thursday denied any knowledge of gold reportedly stashed away in The Gambia by former Zairean head of state Mobuto Sese Seko. A government communique quoted by AFP said that the Central Bank, in particular, wanted to state that there was absolutely "no evidence" that this gold had been deposited in the country's banking system or anywhere else in The Gambia. Democratic Republic of Congo Justice Minister Celestin Luanghy told AFP that his government would commence legal proceedings "to find the people" who transferred the gold to The Gambia and have it returned to the country. Earlier this week, German ZDF television claimed to have found at least six tonnes of gold worth US$ 90 million belonging to Mobuto hidden in The Gambia.
[end]
[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: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 10:00:55 +0000 (GMT) From: UN IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@wa.dha.unon.org> Subject: IRIN-WA Update 83-97, 14 November 1997, 97.11.14 Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.3.95.971116100006.24006A-100000@wa.dha.unon.org>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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