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Tuesday 1 November 2005


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IRIN-WA Weekly 291 covering 20 August to 26 August 2005

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENTS:

COTE D IVOIRE: "Elections won't take place" says rebel leader
NIGER: Annan says more food aid needed if lives to be saved
CHAD: Journalists stop the presses, call for release of imprisoned colleagues
LIBERIA: Steel giant plans to resuscitate iron ore exports
GUINEA-BISSAU: National cholera day declared as deaths double in fortnight

COTE D IVOIRE: "Elections won't take place" says rebel leader

The leader of the New Forces rebels, Guillaume Soro, on Thursday voiced what many Ivorians have been saying for months now – that peace-sealing presidential elections scheduled for 30 October will not take place.

“The New Forces are convinced that the presidential elections of 30 October, will not take place on that date,” said Soro as he summed up the results of a week-long seminar in the rebel-stronghold of Bouake.

The rebel leader said the new forces, who control the northern half of Cote d’Ivoire, were ready to take matters into their own hands.

“At mid-night of 30 October, the New Forces will do what they have to do,” said Soro, surrounded by senior rebel commanders dressed in fatigues and bullet-deflecting amulets.

This is the first time that a senior figure in the hobbling Ivorian peace process has stated that the polling date is not realistic.But many Ivorian voters who have watched one deadline after another slip by had written off the possibility of an October ballot months ago.

With only nine weeks to go to polling day, over 40,000 rebel fighters and some 10,000 more pro-Gbagbo militias have yet to hand in a single weapon.

Full report

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NIGER: Annan says more food aid needed if lives to be saved

Fresh from visiting skeletal babies and worried mothers at the heart of Niger's food crisis, UN Secretary Kofi Annan on Wednesday called for more funds to save thousands of lives in the weeks leading up to the next harvest.

UN agencies have appealed for US $81 million to help fill empty stomachs and treat the sick in hunger-stricken Niger, the world's second poorest country.

But despite a torrent of media attention, only half of that sum -- US $41 million -- has been donated to date and Niger's people have an anxious month to go before the next crops can be harvested.

"A food crisis of such a scale is unacceptable in the 21st century," Annan told a press conference in the capital, Niamey, at the end of his two-day visit. "We are trying to push the international community to act quickly, we are telling them to hurry up."

Full report

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CHAD: Journalists stop the presses, call for release of imprisoned colleagues

Chadian journalists began a one-week news blackout on Monday to protest the imprisonment of four colleagues and to draw international attention to what one striking reporter called the ”creeping dictatorship” of President Idriss Deby.

All but one of Chad’s private newspapers have stopped work and some private radio stations have cut news transmissions after four journalists were thrown in prison since late June, accused of various offences including defaming Deby and inciting hatred.

Deby, who took power in a coup in 1990 but validated his position through elections in 1996 and 2001, sparked a wave of criticism at home and abroad in June when he pushed through constitutional changes allowing him to run for a third term in 2006.

One of the arrested journalists had written a piece criticising Deby’s constitutional changes. Previously the constitution limited presidents to two consecutive terms in office.

A number of journalists said the Deby government has become increasingly repressive towards the private media, which have been largely critical of Deby’s third-term ambitions.

Full report

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LIBERIA: Steel giant plans to resuscitate iron ore exports

Mittal Steel, one of the world's largest steel companies, has signed a deal to develop some 1 billion tonnes of iron ore reserves in northern Liberia, government officials told IRIN.

The company was one of four multinationals that submitted bids back in January to develop mines in Nimba County, close to the border with Guinea.

"Mittal Steel envisages approximate total spend of US $900 million during the lifetime of the project," the company, which is listed on the New York and Amsterdam stock exchanges, said in a statement issued on Monday.

"This cost will cover development of the mines, related railway and port infrastructure and provides means for community development," it said.

The deal is expected to span 25 years, according to officials from the Liberia's Mines and Energy Ministry, but first it must be ratified by Liberia's parliament.

Full report

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GUINEA-BISSAU: National cholera day declared as deaths double in fortnight

The number of deaths from cholera in Guinea-Bissau has more than doubled in the last fortnight, with statistics released by the health ministry on Wednesday showing that the water-borne disease has now killed 177 people and infected more than 9,000.

Trying to halt a spiralling epidemic, the government on Wednesday banned all traditional ceremonies and put a stop to water and food being sold at the markets.

"If people don't change their habits, the government won't have the means to stop this cholera," government spokesman Daniel Gomes told reporters.

Authorities also declared Wednesday a public holiday dedicated to fighting cholera.

Full report

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent WEST AFRICA reports:

IRIN-WA Weekly Round up 301 covering 22-28 October 2005, 28/Oct/05

IRIN-WA Weekly 300 covering 15-21 October 2005, 21/Oct/05

IRIN-WA Weekly 299 covering 8 - 14 October 2005, 14/Oct/05

War, cholera and floods blight start to new school year, 14/Oct/05

EU adopts development, security partnership strategy, 13/Oct/05

Other recent reports:

SOUTH AFRICA: Black youth still struggle for economic equality, 31/Oct/05

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Countries must prepare for bird flu, 28/Oct/05

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 254 for 22-28 October 2005, 28/Oct/05

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round up 301 covering 22-28 October 2005, 28/Oct/05

CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap, 28/Oct/05

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