More donor help essential, EIU says

Guinea Bissau, one of the 15 poorest countries in the world, will need even more donor help if it is to recover from the effects of months of fighting between the government and the rebel military junta led by sacked army chief Ansumane Mane, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) says. In its fourth quarter 1998 report on the Guinea Bissau economy, the EIU said public amenities had been destroyed and the government coffers were nearly empty. “Once the conflict is over, the country will face the enormous challenge of rebuilding not only its weakened economic infrastructure but also the social and political edifices on which that infrastructure depends,” it added. It said there were no reliable estimates of war casualties, but reportedly bodies had been left to decompose in the streets. This, “together with the lack of hygiene and sanitary facilities, increases the risk of epidemics. Humanitarian and reconstruction aid will therefore remain the authorities’ top priorities,” the EIU said. The full EIU report can be found on the EIU website: http://www.eiu.com