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U N I T E D N A T I O N S Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa
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WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 15 covering the period 10-16 March 1999
NIGER: A new military ruler assumes power
The commander of Niger's presidential guard unit, Major Daouda Mallam Wanke, this week was appointed interim head of state following the assassination of President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara last Friday.
Sources in the capital, Niamey, told IRIN the city was calm following what media reports called a "classic coup". Humanitarian sources based inland, also reported that calm had prevailed in the main towns of Zinder, Konni, Maradi and Diffa after the state radio announcment that Mainassara had died in an "accident" - a theme it repeated all week. Doug Steinberg, the CARE country director for Niger said reactions in the country ranged from "peaceful to optimistic".
Diplomatic sources, including the US State Department, said Mainassara had been gunned down at the military airport outside the capital Niamey by the presidential guard unit which Wanke commanded. In his only public appearance so far, Wanke was shown on television visiting a hospitalised colleague injured when Mainassara was killed.
Mainassara, who himself came to power in a military coup when he overthrew the country's first democratically elected government in 1996, was buried on Sunday in his home village.
Wanke trained in France
Wanke, 45, a father of four who trained at military academies in Algeria, Madagascar and France, was appointed chairman of a new ruling body of army officers called the National Reconciliation Council (NRC).
"Wanke is known more for his soldiering ability
than for his political skills," AFP said. "Like
Mainassara, Wanke is a Hausa and hails from the southern
region of Dosso."
Neighbours, OAU, EU condemn the coup
The assassination was condemned by several neighbouring countries, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). France, the country's main provider of foreign assistance, suspended all aid and cooperation, while the European Union (EU) announced that it would "review" further cooperation with Niger.
Mainassara's wife takes refuge in French embassy
Mainassara's wife, Clemence, sought shelter at French embassy, and was later invited to Senegal by President Abdou Diouf.
Transition to civilian rule pledged
By Tuesday, the 'Voix du Sahel' radio station, the main source of official information, announced that the new military leadership in Niger had promised to "withdraw from political life" after a nine-month transition to civilian rule.
It said Ibrahim Mayake had been reappointed prime minister, and that Wanke had appointed the former foreign minister, Maman Sambo Sidikou, as his chief aide.
Opposition backs transition pledge
After the talks with the NRC, the country's 11 civilian opposition parties in a statement urged their supporters to back the pledged transition to civilian rule and "work for the success of the democratic transition and the holding of free and fair elections".
News organisations reported that the alliance refrained from condemning the army coup. It hoped the army would manage the transition showing "respect for human rights, basic liberties and democratic values".
NIGERIA: Constitution to be ready by end of month
The Nigerian leader, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said that Nigeria's new constitution would be delivered by the end of the month.
In a BBC programme at the weekend, Abubakar said his outgoing military government would not seek to impose its values as it prepared to hand over power to a civilian government after 15 years of military rule.
"The era of coups is dead and buried," he said dismissing speculation that the long-awaited constitution would give any special powers to the military.
Abubakar took power last June after the sudden death of his hardline predecessor General Sani Abacha.
Army told to accept civilian rule
In a related development later in the week, military commanders in Nigeria were ordered by Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Ishaya Bamaiyi immediately to begin the reorientation of their troops towards democracy, the independent daily, 'The Guardian', reported.
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Nigeria's main human rights group, said it feared that the constitution would include a clause limiting the future government's authority over the armed forces - allegations Abubakar has denied.
The recent democratic elections ended 15 straight years of military rule in a country where soldiers have held power for a total of all but 10 years since independence in 1960. The United States and Japan pledged this week to renew economic, financial and other cooperation with Nigeria after 29 May when President-elect Olusegun Obasanjo is sworn in.
Indefinite pay strike
Government workers in more than two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states started an indefinite strike on Tuesday to demand wage increases. Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Adams Oshiomhole, said he had instructed his members to strike because "we have exhausted all avenues" of negotiation.
Some states have agreed to pay the increases, but the NLC gave an ultimatum last week that the remaining 28 states should implement the new N3,000 minimum wage (US $32) or face industrial action.
Doctors end four-month strike
Meanwhile, media reports said Nigerian doctors on strike for four months over pay and conditions, had called off their action after receiving promises of a review.
Investigation sought over journalist's death
International and Nigerian press watchdogs this week demanded a full investigation into the killing of one of the country's most prominent woman journalists.
The journalist, Bolanle Fasai, was an active member of the National Association of Women Journalists and former treasurer of the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). She was shot dead on 7 April by three unknown gunmen in Ibadan, 200km north of Lagos.
SIERRA LEONE: ECOMOG says more troops needed
The commander of the West African ECOMOG peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone has said more troops had to be deployed around the country if it was to contain rebel activities.
According to a report in the Nigerian daily, 'The Guardian', the commander, Major-General Felix Mujakperuo, said at least 5,000 more men would be needed and international support would be required because it was difficult for some West African nations to meet the "enormous" costs involved.
Mujakperuo's remarks were made to reporters on his arrival in the economic capital Lagos for consultations with the Nigerian government.
The capital of Sierra Leone is safe
"Freetown is very safe now," he said explaining that rebels forces had been "flushed" from the city. But he said there were still problems containing rebels elsewhere in the country and that these could only be overcome if there were more troops. He said the rebels had only been able to overrun Freetown last year because of a lack of ECOMOG troops.
The humanitarian situation
WFP this week announced the resumption of helicopter flights ferrying humanitarian supplies in Sierra Leone. It said distribution of two-week rations to some 14,260 internally displaced people in the Blama district west of Kenema in Eastern Province had been completed, and that food distribution was underway in Kenema itself.
It said food stocks in Kenema, where 40,000 people required aassistance, were "critical". Meanwhile, road repairs along the route between Bo in Southern Province and Niti harbour, about 100 km southeast of the capital Freetown, had started through a WFP "food for work" programme.
It said the Sierra Leone Road Authority had prepared a budget to cover the cost of bridge repairs for presentation to donors. The report said the road was vital for WFP aid transport to Bo and Kenema from Niti harbour.
Other humanitarian sources stressed that assistance was currently impossible in rebel-controlled areas of the country.
RUF leader Sankoh to travel to Togo for talks
The Court of Appeal this week granted a government request for Foday Sankoh, the detained leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel movement, to travel to Togo for talks at the weekend with rebel commanders. The talks are intended to pave the way for neogitations between the Sierra Leone government and rebels.
LIBERIA: Troops to Sierra Leone border
In neighbouring Liberia, the government said it planned to send troops to "reinforce" the border with Sierra Leone following "threats" by the West African ECOMOG intervention force that it would strike at any route used to deliver weapons to rebels operating in Sierra Leone.
Independent 'Star Radio' said the announcement was made by the defence minister, Daniel Chea, following charges last week by ECOMOG commander Major-General Felix Mujakperuo that the rebels were receiving arms from Burkina Faso via Liberia. Chea said the allegations were "unacceptable and irresponsible".
Nine soldiers on trial
Nine Liberian soldiers charged with sedition following a gun battle in the capital Monrovia last September pleaded not guilty when their trial opened before a court martial this week.
The nine, who include a general and three majors, are accused of backing the former faction leader, Roosevelt Johnson, against government forces during fighting in strategic locations of the city on 18 and 19 September last year. Last week, 13 former government officials found guilty of assisting Johnson at the time, were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
GUINEA BISSAU: First post-war parliamentary session
Members of the Guinea Bissau parliament held their first formal session this week since last year's signature of a peace treaty and the establishment of a government of national unity.
It cleared Brigadier Ansumane Mane, who led last year's army rebellion, of arms trafficking violations and urged that his suspension as armed forces chief be reviewed.
It said that the president, Joao Bernardo Vieira, knew about the operations but had made no attempt to stop them. Vieira dismissed Mane as armed forces chief in February 1998 and in June Mane led a military rebellion against the government.
Prime minister outlines recovery programme
The prime minister, Francisco Fadul, has outlined a recovery programme, telling deputies that his priority was the return home of more than 250,000 people displaced by the fighting. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to hold elections towards the end of the year.
CAMEROON: Life returns to normal near volcano
Life gradually returned to normal this week for some
100,000 people living in and around the town of Buea,
hit by a series of earth tremors prior to the eruption
last month of Mount Cameroon volcano.
Buea, situated on the southern flank of the volcano
some 60km west of economic capital, Douala, suffered
tremors which damaged houses and left around 600 people
homeless, news reports said.
Anglophone leader dies
John Ngu Foncha, the politician who lead anglophone Southern Cameroons into a federation with francophone Cameroon in 1961, died at the weekend. Foncha, 82, championed greater autonomy for Cameroon's English speaking provinces.
Meanwhile, a group of 67 anglophone dissidents appeared briefly before a military court in the capital Yaounde on Wednesday on charges attempting an armed insurrection two years ago. 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 that the US $4 million operation had started on Monday and was expected to take up to four months.
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 refugees will 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 were already in the 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.
The COMESSA summit was 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. Libyan state media gave no details on the talks.
DONOR ASSISTANCE
Mauritania: Japan offered Mauritania grants amounting to 300 million yen (US $24.8 million) for rice purchases to alleviate food shortages.
Gambia: The International Development Agency granted Gambia a loan of US $15 million for major socio-economic projects aimed at reducing poverty by job creation.
Sao Tome y Principe: Portugal announced a three-year
US $11 million aid and investment programme.
Guinea Bissau: The government said it would need the
equivalent of US $90 in donor aid to help finance the
1999 budget.
Abidjan, 16 April 1999, 1200 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. Mailing list: irin-wa-weekly]
Item: irin-english-628
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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 1999
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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