Africa: War And Peace In The African Continent

16 February 2000
Africa News Service (Durham)

Nairobi — Algeria: Muslim rebels in Algeria have killed five villagers, including an eight-month old baby, the newspaper Le Matin reported on Sunday. The deaths brought to 22 the number of civilians killed in rebel attack between Wednesday and Friday last week, it said.

Guerrillas stormed the small Sidi Brahim village in Medea area, 70 Km (45 miles) south of Algeria, killing a woman a 15-year-old girl, two children aged eight months and four years and a man, on Friday night. Le Matin said the victims were from three separate families whose houses were singled out in rebel attack.

DR Congo

The United States put forward a six-page Security Council resolution on February 9 that would authorise more than 5,500 troops to help implement peace accords aimed at ending the Congo crisis

In a test of a renewed American commitment to peace keeping in Africa, US envoy Nancy Soderberg told council members Washington would support Secretary- General Kofi Annan's proposal of 500 military observers and a force of about 5000 to protect them in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Soderberg reported that US Congressional leaders had been notified late on Monday, diplomats at the closed-door council session said.

Meanwhile, the main religious leaders issued a Statement in which they said they are "deeply saddened by the war that has been going on in our country since 2 August 1998. This war has had devastating consequences for the Congolese people, for the future of our nation, and for our relationships with our neighbours and friends. The religious leaders emphasised that they stand for justice, peace, unity, reconciliation, democracy and "for our people". The religious leaders said they are

organising a National Consultation to prepare for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue. (The full text of the Statement can be obtained from ANB-BIA, Brussels, on anb-bia@village.uunet.be - ASk for: \rdc\religlead.doc). (Source: Infodoc)

Eritrea/Ethiopia

An European Union (EU) delegation is visiting the Horn of Africa in an attempt to help the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The EU team, led by Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Rino Serri, aims to assist the on-going efforts of the Organisation of African Unity. Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki met Mr. Serri on 6 February. The talks focused on the conflict and the latest moves in the peace process. Mr. serri has now left for Djibouti and is scheduled to visit Ethiopia later this week. 8 February: The EU delegation has now met the President's of Eritrea and Ethiopia as well as a number of top officials in the region. Also with the Organisation of African Unity's secretary-general, Salim Ahmed Salim, for consultations on mediation efforts. It had previously discussed the issue with top US officials. (Source: ANB-BIA)

Sierra Leone

Sierra leone's government has foiled an attempt to undermine the nation's post-civil war peace process and has begun a crackdown on rebels, state radio reported on Sunday. It said "a plan to wilfully disrupt the ongoing peace process in Sierra Leone by a few unscrupulous AFRC/SLA elements has been foiled and some arrests have been started by security forces for more AFRC suspects," it added.

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) on Wednesday successfully negotiated the release of another group of children from a rebel- held area, according to a UNAMSIL statement.

Eleven boys and four girls, some as young as eight and all in apparently good condition, were freed from a site in the Occra Hills, 70 miles northeast of Freetown. All had been behind rebel lines for more than a year. Children who said that they had been fighting alongside the rebels were taken to a demobilisation camp in Lungi, near the international airport north of Freetown. The others were taken to a child day care centre.

"Several combatants from different factions have told UNAMSIL they are

eager to release all abductees and child soldiers and to enter the [disarmament] programme," UNAMSIL said. (Source: IRIN)

Somalia

A Somali warlord said today he was pulling out of an agreement reached in December with four of his rivals to establish a joint authority to administer the Mogadishu region, accusing them of instigating violence.

AFRICANEWS News & Views on Africa from Africa Koinonia Media Centre, P.O. Box 8034, Nairobi, Kenya email: amani@iol.it

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