Clippings
Burkina Faso
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have deemed Burkina Faso eligible to receive a total of US $700 million in debt service relief, the World Bank reported on 11 July. This halves the country's debt service obligations over the coming years, the bank said. (Source: IRIN)
Cote d'Ivoire
In the aftermath of protests by a section of the military in Cote d'Ivoire on 4 and 5 July, a number of foreign nations and groups have issued statements on the situation in the West African nation.
The European Union said on 10 July that it "deeply regrets the many acts of violence committed, in particular against the civilian population and businesses" during the disturbances and it hoped there would be no delay in the electoral process and that the referendum due to be held on 23 July 2000 would take place on schedule.
US Ambassador George Mu told journalists on 11 July that, in a meeting he had with Ivoirian leader General Robert Guei he emphasised that "the best way to achieve stability is to continue on the democratisation process that he has put in place". He added: "Our position is that we do not expect Guei to present himself as a candidate for the upcoming elections".
AFP reported that African leaders attending the 36th summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) were also worried about the situation in Cote d'Ivoire, and that a ministerial delegation was expected to visit the country immediately after the summit.
Uganda
The European Parliament has tabled a resolution urging the Sudanese government to stop supporting the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and particularly to cooperate in freeing all children abducted by the rebels. The resolution noted that thousands of children had already died in captivity from hunger, disease, beatings, stabbings and the fighting itself. It said a peace accord signed in Nairobi last December between Uganda and Sudan had included a pledge from the Sudanese government to cease support for the LRA and guarantee the safe return of abducted Ugandan children from the LRA's bases in Sudan. "The political will to implement the peace accord has been lacking on both sides [and] both countries have continued to support each other's armed rebels," the resolution said. "Very few abducted children have been returned by Sudan."
Kenya
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has stressed the rapidly deteriorating food situation in Kenya, noting that starvation-related deaths are now being reported. In a special report issued on Monday, the FAO said the severe drought currently affecting the country had resulted in a dire food situation "especially for pastoralists because this is the fourth consecutive rain failure in their areas". As a result the prices of the staple food, maize, are very high and continue to rise. "This is seriously hurting the poor whose access to food is increasingly being curtailed," the report said. For pastoralists, livestock losses and plummeting livestock prices combined with the rising cost of grain have led to the collapse of household economies "leading to destitution and starvation-related deaths, especially among children".
Nigeria
Thousands of young Christians in Nigeria have refused to be sent on compulsory non-military national service to states which have adopted Islamic law, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The National Youth Service Corps which oversees the scheme is reported to have been overwhelmed by students who are afraid of Sharia's penalties, including flogging and amputation.
Meanwhile some 250 people - as many as 300 by some accounts - died when a pipeline exploded near Warri in the oil-producing Niger Delta region of southeastern Nigeria, media sources in Lagos told IRIN. The police were reported to have sealed off the area and firefighters were still trying on 11 July to control the blaze, believed to have started on
9 July. (Source: IRIN)
Gambia
Gambia's authorities have began a probe into allegations that officers and individuals close to its ruling party were planning a coup against President Yahya Jammeh, AFP reported. Public Prosecutor Joseph Wowo said on 12 July that several people had been arrested but he gave no details. Court proceedings are due on 15 August, Wowo said. (Source: AFP)
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