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Opposition rejects final election results

NAIROBI, 10 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Ethiopia's largest opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), has rejected official results that effectively declared Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s ruling party the winner of the country’s disputed 15 May legislative poll.

"These are flawed results, consistent with what we have come to expect of results provided by the NEBE," Berhanu Nega, vice chairman of the CUD, told IRIN on Wednesday.

Berhanu said his party, which according to Tuesday’s results won 109 seats, was in consultations to decide whether they would challenge the results in court.

Ethiopia’s information minister, Bereket Simon, however, told IRIN the results were released after investigations had been completed.

AU "reassured", new rulers name government

NOUAKCHOTT, 10 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - African Union envoys said on Wednesday that they were reassured after meeting Mauritania's new military rulers but said the country's suspension from the continental body would stand until there were free and fair elections.

"The AU did say that it is ready... to co-operate with the government in Mauritania," said Nigerian Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji, who headed the delegation sent in after senior military officers toppled President Maaouya Ould Taya in a bloodless coup last week.

"We are reassured after meeting all the various political parties of the reasons for the change and, some even say, the necessity of the change," the Nigerian diplomat told reporters.

Vieira officially declared president

BISSAU, 10 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Guinea-Bissau's electoral commission on Wednesday formally declared one-time military ruler Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira the president of the small West African country, dismissing his challenger's claims that last month's ballot had been fraudulent.

Malam Mane, the electoral commission's head, confirmed provisional results that Vieira had garnered 52 percent of the vote in the 24 July poll, with Malam Bacai Sanha, the candidate of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) trailing in second with 48 percent.

"With these results, Vieira is elected president of Guinea-Bissau," Mane said, as outside the commission extra soldiers stood guard with Kalashnikovs and grenade launchers.
This presidential election was supposed to set the seal on Guinea-Bissau's return to constitutional government after a civil war in 1998-1999 that was followed by several years of political instability and administrative chaos.

Release of suspects in the 1994 genocide angers survivors

KIGALI, 9 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Rwandan genocide survivors issued on Monday a collective complaint to the government about its decision on 29 July to release tens of thousands of inmates, many of whom had confessed to taking part in the 1994 genocide.

"Their release will only serve to weaken the Gacaca courts as survivors will find these courts irrelevant," Ibuka, an umbrella organisation for Rwandan genocide survivors, said in a communique.

The Gacaca courts were set up in 2002 to bring to trial many of the genocide suspects.

Truth on the "Beach saga" is needed, president says

BRAZZAVILLE, 9 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - President D?nis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo (ROC) said on Monday he wanted the truth to emerge from the trial of 15 senior security officials over the disappearances of refugees in an affair known as the "Beach" case.

"Our expectations and hopes are that this trial brings out the entire truth," he said in his declaration in parliament.

The Beach case started on 19 July at the Brazzaville Criminal Court. The defendants are amongst of the country's highest ranking security officials. They are accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes.

TFG denies split within its ranks

NAIROBI, 9 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - There is no split within Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) over the deployment of foreign peacekeeping troops and relocation to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, a senior member of the TFG said on Tuesday.

"There may be misunderstandings and differences of opinion, but I am not aware of any split or two camps within the TFG," Abdirahman Dinari, spokesman for the TFG, told IRIN.

Dinari said the TFG welcomed efforts by the UN and others to facilitate dialogue, "but that should not become some sort of a reconciliation conference".