Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 18:26:48 +0000 (GMT)
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Subject: WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Update 701  [2000420]
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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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e-mail: irin-wa@irin.ci

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Update 701 (Wednesday 19 April)

CONTENTS:

SIERRA LEONE: UN commission condemns atrocities
SIERRA LEONE: Chief of staff dies
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Guarantee human rights, UN Commission says
MAURITANIA: German aid for poverty alleviation
NIGERIA: Militant youths vacate oil stations
NIGERIA: Police arrests over 40 pro-Biafra activists
TOGO: Committee set up to probe UN accusations

SIERRA LEONE: UN commission condemns atrocities

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) on Tuesday expressed
"grave concern" at the continuing abuse of human rights and humanitarian
law committed in Sierra Leone.

In a press release, the organisation noted that atrocities against
civilians such as rapes, hostage-taking, summary executions, mutilations,
forced labour, and abuse of women and children have been done with
impunity.

It implicated the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Armed Forces
Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and ex-Sierra Leone Army (SLA) in these acts.

The commission called for an end to such abuses and urged the parties to
the Lome Peace Agreement to fulfill all their commitments and to respect
human rights and international humanitarian law. It also called on the
government to continue to comply with its obligations to promote and
protect human rights and to work closely with the UN Mission in Sierra
Leone (UNOMSIL).

The commission, however, welcomed the steps taken by the government and
the civil society to create a human rights infrastructure in the country.

SIERRA LEONE: Chief of staff dies

Sierra Leone's chief of staff, Brigadier-General Maxwell Khobe, died in
Lagos on Tuesday, news organisations reported. According to PANA news
agency, Brig-Gen Khobe, 50, was evacuated from Freetown to Lagos a week
ago after he reportedly collapsed.

Khobe, who was Nigerian, headed the ECOMOG (Economic Community of West
African States Monitoring Group) task force in Sierra Leone before being
appointed chief of staff. He spearheaded the military operation that
restored President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to power in February 1998 after his
overthrow in May 1997.

Sierra Leone has declared seven days of mourning in his honour. PANA
quoted the country's high commissioner to Nigeria, Joe Blell, as saying
Khobe's death would have a serious impact on the peace process. "Khobe had
his own way of doing things, he will be missed greatly," he said.
 
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Guarantee human rights, UN Commission says

The UN Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday urged the government of
Equatorial Guinea to adopt quick, effective measures to guarantee the full
enjoyment of basic rights.

These include freedom of movement and association; freedom of information,
opinion and expression; the rule of law; freedom from torture; the right
to justice and the independence of the judiciary. It also urged Equatorial
Guinea to ensure that military jurisdiction was not applied to civilians.

According to Amnesty International, some 80 members of Equatorial Guinea's
Bubi minority, were sentenced to jail in June 1998 by a military court
after being accused of trying to overthrow the government. Many are
reportedly still in jail.

The Committee's call came in a resolution (E/CN.4/2000/L.27) on the
situation of human rights in Equatorial Guinea and assistance in the field
of human rights, that was adopted by consensus.
 
The Committee welcomed the stated willingness of the government to
implement a national human-rights action plan. It also encouraged the
government to invite to the country an electoral observer mission for
municipal elections to be held in May and decided to renew the mandate of
the Special Representative on Equatorial Guinea for another year.

Mauritania: German aid for poverty alleviation

Germany has granted Mauritania aid amounting to the equivalent of 14.83
million euros to support poverty alleviation efforts over the next two
years, according to a communique from the German Cooperation Ministry
quoted by AFP.

NIGERIA: Militant youths vacate oil stations

Militant youths who last week occupied five oil pumping stations in north
and south Isoko local government areas, near Warri in southeastern
Nigeria, have vacated the sites.

"The stations are now free and we are back at production," AFP quoted a
Shell spokesman as saying. The seizure reportedly reduced Nigeria's oil
production by about 50,000 barrels a day.

The youths were protesting against the "dumping of suspected toxic waste
by Shell" last year. AFP quoted an environment ministry official on Monday
as saying that tests had shown that the waste was not toxic. "Government
officials had since persuaded the youths to leave the sites," Shell said.

NIGERIA: Police arrest over 40 pro-Biafra activists

Forty members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State
of Biafra (MASSOB) were arrested on Tuesday after they clashed with police
as they marched through Agboju area, a satellite town in Lagos.

'The Guardian' reported that the group, carrying placards with pro-Biafra
inscriptions and T-shirts on which 'BIAFRA' was boldly printed, marched
through the streets of Agboju Amuwo chanting songs against Nigerian unity.

The group paralysed economic activities in the town for several hours as
residents scampered for safety before the anti-riot police came on the
scene. Police said the group did not have permission for the procession.

"As a result, I ordered my men to go there and disperse them," 'The
Guardian' quoted Lagos Police Commissioner Mike Okiro as saying. "On
getting there, they became riotous," he said. "They were eventually
dispersed and 40 of them arrested and are being interrogated at the State
Criminal Investigation Department (SCID)," Okiro said. "They will be
charged in court under public order laws, because they engaged in
activities that threatened the peace and order in the state," he added.

TOGO: Committee set up to probe UN accusations

Togo's government on Monday announced that it has set up a commission to
investigate the accusations lodged against it last month by a UN Panel of
Experts on the violation of sanctions against UNITA.

In a communique quoted by Togolese radio, the government said the decision
was taken by the cabinet on 22 March. The commission comprises several
ministers and lawyers, it said.

In its report, the panel had accused the presidents of Burkina Faso and
Togo of deriving personal gain from assisting UNITA rebels. On Tuesday,
the Security Council asked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to establish
within one month a monitoring mechanism composed of up to five experts to
collect information and investigate the alleged violations of sanctions.

Abidjan, 19 April 2000; 18:30 GMT

[ENDS]



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