CONTENTS:
COTE D'IVOIRE: Diplomacy coupled with military as crisis continues
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Obiang reelected amid fraud allegations
LIBERIA: Human rights activist charged with treason
AFRICA: WFP campaign against hunger
BENIN: UNICEF targets child and mother health
COTE D'IVOIRE: Diplomacy and military initiatives as crisis continues Diplomacy and military initiatives were the highlights of this week in Cote d'Ivoire as the crisis continued. The week started with the deployment of some 200 French troops sent to Cote d'Ivoire to reinforce the troops already on the ground who since late October have been monitoring the ceasefire agreement. These 200 were part of a 500-troop reinforcement announced by France. The remaining 300 are due in the country next week. French officials said the mandate of its men would also change from monitoring to enforcing the ceasefire which each side has accused the other of violating. On Wednesday, the spokesman for the defence ministry said that as many as 2,500 French soldiers could be in Cote d'Ivoire by the end of the year. On Monday, five West African heads of state met in the northern Togolese town of Kara to take stock of the peace negotiations. The mini-summit, attended by Senegalese President and the chairman of the regional organisation Abdoulaye Wade, agreed to hold a second extraordinary summit on the Ivorian crisis. First announced for Accra, the summit was held on Wednesday in Dakar where the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reaffirmed its commitment to the deployment of a West African force. Already a few weeks behind schedule, the summit pledged to deploy the force, strong of some 1,500 men, before December 31st. Also on Wednesday, a new round of fighting broke in Man, western Cote d'Ivoire. By Thursday morning, the town had fallen into the hands of one of the new armed movement which last month emerged from that area. As at Friday, the town was still under their control. Western Cote d'Ivoire, which includes some key cocoa-producing towns such Man, Daloa, has been the scene of fighting in recent times between the Ivorian national army and one of the three rebel groups. The fighting has restricted the work of relief workers, however OCHA, WFP and ACF (Action contre la Faim) conducted on 14-15 December a rapid assessment in the area. More than 16,000 people had been displaced in the area. The International Community of the Red Cross said on Thursday that it had also been able to reach the Daloa area. In addition to the MPCI, the Mouvement pour la Justice et la Paix (MJP) and the Mouvement Populaire Ivoirien pour le Grand Ouest (MPIGO) have also enjoined in the conflict, claiming that their objective is to avenge the death of General Guei. For IRIN stories on Cote d'Ivoire Full story EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Obiang reelected amid fraud allegations Incumbent President Teodoro Obiang Nguema was reelected on Sunday to head Equatorial Guinea for another seven years, amid accusations of fraud by the opposition. In fact opposition candidates withdrew from the elections citing severe flaws, such as intimidation and voters being forced to show their ballots before putting them in the urns. Nguema was reelected with more than 97 percent of the votes, the National Electoral Commission reported. The commission also criticized the opposition for withdrawing from the polls, saying it was "anti-democratic". A number of opposition politicians did not contest in the polls as some are serving prison term as a result of a trial in which they were accused of plotting to overthrow Nguema; others are living in exile. One of the opposition parties, the Union for Democracy and Social Development in Equatorial Guinea, on Tuesday called on France and the organisation of French-speaking countries (Francophonie) to intervene to solve the current socio-political impasse, which it said, is threatening the stability of the West African nation. For IRIN stories on Equatorial Guinea see: EQUATORIAL GUINEA: President wins landslide but polls rejected by opposition Full story Full story LIBERIA: Human rights activist charged with treason Human rights activist Aloysius Toe on Monday was charged with treason in Montserado County and was denied bail because his offense, according to the judge, is not "bailable". Toe was among several civilians who were arrested earlier this year for their presumed opposition to the government or for being rights activists. He had already spent several months in detention before being officially charge. Journalist Hassan Bility, arrested in June, was released in early December without ever being charged. Amnesty International, after Bility's arrest, had urged the government to release all those still in detention. AFRICA: WFP campaign against hunger The World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday launched the Africa Hunger Alert campaign which aims to gather financial support for the continent as it battles with a number of hunger hotspots threatening the lives of some 38 million people. Southern Africa, The Great Lakes Region, Sudan, Angola and West Africa all face food shortages which have been exacerbated by shifting weather patterns, HIV/AIDS, political turmoil and failed economic policies, WFP said in a news release on Monday. In total, it is 38 million people who could go hungry. WFP Deputy Executive Director Jean-Jacques Graisse warned that, unless the relief community receives massive response from governments, NGOs, individuals and others, the continent could be hit with a humanitarian catastrophe. For more information see www.wfp.org/AfricaHungerAlert BENIN: UNICEF targets child and mother health UNICEF on Tuesday donated medical equipment worth some 614 millions FCFA (US $ 962,000) to Benin's ministry of health to strengthen the government's health programme geared toward child and maternal health. In addition to all-terrain cars and motorbikes for the staff, donated items included 300,000 impregnated mosquito nets; 50,000 'Alafia' pills. Financed by the Canadian agency for International Development, the items will target specifically the extended vaccination programme and the programme against childhood diseases.
COTE D'IVOIRE: Diplomacy and military initiatives as crisis continues Diplomacy and military initiatives were the highlights of this week in Cote d'Ivoire as the crisis continued. The week started with the deployment of some 200 French troops sent to Cote d'Ivoire to reinforce the troops already on the ground who since late October have been monitoring the ceasefire agreement. These 200 were part of a 500-troop reinforcement announced by France. The remaining 300 are due in the country next week. French officials said the mandate of its men would also change from monitoring to enforcing the ceasefire which each side has accused the other of violating. On Wednesday, the spokesman for the defence ministry said that as many as 2,500 French soldiers could be in Cote d'Ivoire by the end of the year. On Monday, five West African heads of state met in the northern Togolese town of Kara to take stock of the peace negotiations. The mini-summit, attended by Senegalese President and the chairman of the regional organisation Abdoulaye Wade, agreed to hold a second extraordinary summit on the Ivorian crisis. First announced for Accra, the summit was held on Wednesday in Dakar where the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reaffirmed its commitment to the deployment of a West African force. Already a few weeks behind schedule, the summit pledged to deploy the force, strong of some 1,500 men, before December 31st. Also on Wednesday, a new round of fighting broke in Man, western Cote d'Ivoire. By Thursday morning, the town had fallen into the hands of one of the new armed movement which last month emerged from that area. As at Friday, the town was still under their control. Western Cote d'Ivoire, which includes some key cocoa-producing towns such Man, Daloa, has been the scene of fighting in recent times between the Ivorian national army and one of the three rebel groups. The fighting has restricted the work of relief workers, however OCHA, WFP and ACF (Action contre la Faim) conducted on 14-15 December a rapid assessment in the area. More than 16,000 people had been displaced in the area. The International Community of the Red Cross said on Thursday that it had also been able to reach the Daloa area. In addition to the MPCI, the Mouvement pour la Justice et la Paix (MJP) and the Mouvement Populaire Ivoirien pour le Grand Ouest (MPIGO) have also enjoined in the conflict, claiming that their objective is to avenge the death of General Guei. For IRIN stories on Cote d'Ivoire Full story EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Obiang reelected amid fraud allegations Incumbent President Teodoro Obiang Nguema was reelected on Sunday to head Equatorial Guinea for another seven years, amid accusations of fraud by the opposition. In fact opposition candidates withdrew from the elections citing severe flaws, such as intimidation and voters being forced to show their ballots before putting them in the urns. Nguema was reelected with more than 97 percent of the votes, the National Electoral Commission reported. The commission also criticized the opposition for withdrawing from the polls, saying it was "anti-democratic". A number of opposition politicians did not contest in the polls as some are serving prison term as a result of a trial in which they were accused of plotting to overthrow Nguema; others are living in exile. One of the opposition parties, the Union for Democracy and Social Development in Equatorial Guinea, on Tuesday called on France and the organisation of French-speaking countries (Francophonie) to intervene to solve the current socio-political impasse, which it said, is threatening the stability of the West African nation. For IRIN stories on Equatorial Guinea see: EQUATORIAL GUINEA: President wins landslide but polls rejected by opposition Full story Full story LIBERIA: Human rights activist charged with treason Human rights activist Aloysius Toe on Monday was charged with treason in Montserado County and was denied bail because his offense, according to the judge, is not "bailable". Toe was among several civilians who were arrested earlier this year for their presumed opposition to the government or for being rights activists. He had already spent several months in detention before being officially charge. Journalist Hassan Bility, arrested in June, was released in early December without ever being charged. Amnesty International, after Bility's arrest, had urged the government to release all those still in detention. AFRICA: WFP campaign against hunger The World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday launched the Africa Hunger Alert campaign which aims to gather financial support for the continent as it battles with a number of hunger hotspots threatening the lives of some 38 million people. Southern Africa, The Great Lakes Region, Sudan, Angola and West Africa all face food shortages which have been exacerbated by shifting weather patterns, HIV/AIDS, political turmoil and failed economic policies, WFP said in a news release on Monday. In total, it is 38 million people who could go hungry. WFP Deputy Executive Director Jean-Jacques Graisse warned that, unless the relief community receives massive response from governments, NGOs, individuals and others, the continent could be hit with a humanitarian catastrophe. For more information see www.wfp.org/AfricaHungerAlert BENIN: UNICEF targets child and mother health UNICEF on Tuesday donated medical equipment worth some 614 millions FCFA (US $ 962,000) to Benin's ministry of health to strengthen the government's health programme geared toward child and maternal health. In addition to all-terrain cars and motorbikes for the staff, donated items included 300,000 impregnated mosquito nets; 50,000 'Alafia' pills. Financed by the Canadian agency for International Development, the items will target specifically the extended vaccination programme and the programme against childhood diseases.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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