/ 17 February 1999

‘WEST AFRICA UNSTABLE’

THE European Commissioner in charge of humanitarian affairs, Emma Bonino, left Dakar on Tuesday at the end of a tour of West African countries, saying she is worried about stability in the region. Bonino said her tour of Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau and Senegal, where she met refugees fleeing conflicts, raised doubts on the return of peace to these countries in the near future. She also announced that with the co-operation of the authorities in Conakry, the European Union would tackle try to help about 400000 Sierra Leonean refugees living in areas close to the Guinean border.