UN Secretary-General appeals for aid

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged countries that pledged money for a UN trust fund for Guinea-Bissau to pay up so as to enable the UN Peace-building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) to succeed in consolidating peace there. In a report on the West African country, released on Saturday, Annan appealed to donors to act because of the political situation in the country which he said continued to be fragile. He said the interim government’s hold on power was tenuous, as many of its senior members were appointed by the self-styled Military Junta. Guinea-Bissau, he said, was still without a functioning police, small arms were widely available and acts of banditry were increasing. Annan said UNOGBIS had already helped reconcile the parties to the conflict that broke out in June 1998 when part of the military rose up against then president Joao Bernardo Vieira, whom it eventually overthrew in May this year. The United Nations has also helped improve confidence and tolerance among Guinea-Bissau’s political forces and prepare the country for general elections on 28 November.