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IRIN-WA Daily Media Update 39-97 of Events in West Africa, 2 September 1997
SIERRA LEONE - Malnutrition rising
Malnutrition rates in eastern districts of the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, have reached the point where supplementary feeding should be considered, humanitarian agencies report. The situation is described as having deteriorated "significantly" since an independent nutritional survey was conducted in December. Source: humanitarian agencies.
SENEGAL - Displaced flee fighting
The Senegalese Red Cross said today that some 2,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have fled their villages in the southern province of Casamance and are en route to the regional capital, Ziguinchor. The Red Cross estimates their numbers could reach as high as 4,000 in the next few days following the escalation of raids by the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC). Assisted by ICRC, the local Red Cross is providing 10,000 FF worth of food assistance to the IDPs in Ziguinchor. Source: Senegalese Red Cross.
AFRICA - No change in French policy, Chirac
French president Jacques Chirac said France was not changing its policy towards Africa but was adapting it to changing circumstances. Following a meeting with Burkinabe president Blaise Campaore in Paris yesterday, Chirac said that France would continue to be Africa's primary donor. However, he pointed to the need to adapt policy to reflect changing times. His remarks followed the recent announcement of plans by the socialist government to cut the number of French troops stationed in Africa from 8,350 to 5,000. Source: AFP.
CHAD - French troops out, opposition
Twenty-one Chadian opposition parties have criticised the continued presence of French troops in the country. A leading member of the opposition claimed France had ulterior motives in keeping the troops in the country beyond maintaining the "dictatorial and tribalistic regime" of President Idriss Deby. Source: AFP and Radio France International via BBC Monitoring.
NIGERIA - Bomb blast
The military governor of the Nigerian southwestern state of Ekiti survived a bomb attack today that wounded at least seven people, four of them seriously. Source: AFP. [IRIN-WA Note: The government has accused the pro-democracy opposition of previous bomb attacks.]
NIGERIA - Message to Mandela
Nigerian foreign minister Tom Ikimi arrived in South Africa Monday to deliver a "special message" to President Nelson Mandela from Nigerian head of state Gen. Sani Abacha. The content of the message was not divulged and Ikimi returned to Nigeria the same day. Nigerian/South African relations have been strained since Mandela's condemnation of the 1995 execution of Nigerian activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa. However, last month Mandela said that both Pretoria and Abuja were now in regular contact over regional security issues. Source: SAPA & local sources.
NIGERIA - Renewed community violence
Four people were killed and several injured at the weekend in renewed violence between rival communities in Nigeria's southwestern Osun state. The fresh fighting in Arokomo village brings the death toll to 79 since hostilities erupted two weeks ago between the Ife and Modakeke communities over the relocation of a local government headquarters. The state police commissioner said he was unaware of both the reported clashes and an alleged assassination attempt on the Modakeke king. Source: AFP.
NIGERIA - Shell condemned
The multinational oil company, Shell, has been accused of supporting the Nigerian army's military operations in the country's troubled oil producing southeastern Delta region. The allegation, backed by a video documentary, was contained in a report released last week by a Nigerian rights group, Environmental Rights Action. Meanwhile, four oil-producing communities in Delta state are reportedly planning to "forcefully eject Shell" from their areas. The threat comes just two months after a crisis between Shell and the communities was believed to have been resolved. Source: News Report Journal.
WEST AFRICA - Abacha re-elected
Nigerian head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, was re-elected for another year as chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) during the organisation's summit in Abuja, Nigeria. Abacha's first term expired at the end of the two-day summit, Saturday. Source: News Report Journal
West African leaders aim to establish a single monetary zone by the year 2000. A communique at the end of the annual ECOWAS summit said an ad hoc monitoring committee had been created to "facilitate compliance by member states with the agreed monetary and financial targets." Half of the 16 ECOWAS members already use a single currency, the CFA franc, which is backed by the French treasury. Regional power Nigeria is known to favour the community-wide adoption of its currency the naira. Analysts however believe it extremely unlikely that CFA countries would want to part with their currency.
Source: Reuters.
Abidjan, 2 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: <199709030548.IAA23658@dha.unon.org> Date: Tue, 02 Sep 1997 19:11:18 +0100 From: UN DHA IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci> Subject: IRIN-WA Daily Media Update 39-97, 2 September 1997
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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