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BENIN: Armed hold-ups, car-jackings on rise amid economic woes
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© IRIN
The streets of Cotonou are increasingly dangerous
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COTONOU, 28 Oct 2005 (IRIN) - Armed hold-ups and car-nabbings are mushrooming across Benin, where increasing food and oil prices in one of the world’s poorest countries are making economic survival increasingly tough.
Citizens are frightened and crying out for better security as criminal violence seeps into the economic heart of the country, the capital, Cotonou, and more and more innocent passers-by are gunned down in broad daylight.
On 17 October two people were killed and four injured by armed robbers who snatched a briefcase stuffed with banknotes from a major store in a commercial center at rush hour. The robbers got away.
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Posted by admin on Monday, October 31 @ 03:16:59 EST (1800 reads)
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BENIN-NIGER: International Court rules that main disputed island belongs to Nige
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©
The disputed islands lie near the border crossing at Malanville
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DAKAR, 12 Jul 2005 (IRIN) - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its ruling in a border row between Benin and Niger on Tuesday, awarding the majority of 25 disputed islands in the Niger River, to Niger, including the largest one, which was at the heart of the dispute.
Niger was awarded 16 of the disputed islands along a 150 km stretch of the river where it forms the border between the two countries, including 60 square km Lete, the largest island, which had been the cause of sporadic border clashes.
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Posted by admin on Tuesday, July 12 @ 16:37:25 EDT (1836 reads)
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BENIN-TOGO: Refugees from Togo still trickling across the border
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©
Young Togolese refugees in a camp in Benin
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AGAME, 6 Jul 2005 (IRIN) - Dozens of frightened refugees are continuing to flee Togo every day into Benin, more than two months after political violence triggered by a disputed presidential election suddenly drove tens of thousands into exile, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
Between 20 and 60 Togolese refugees were still registering for asylum daily at the main Hillacondji border crossing, UNHCR officials told IRIN on Tuesday.
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Posted by admin on Wednesday, July 06 @ 13:18:49 EDT (1945 reads)
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BENIN: Fears of witchcraft lead to widespread infanticide in remote north
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© Irin
Rescued child "witches" at ELIB
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KOUANDE, 18 Jul 2005 (IRIN) - Unless a baby is born head first and face upwards, many communities in northern Benin believe the child is a witch or sorcerer. And tradition demands that the infant must be killed, sometimes by dashing its brains out against a tree trunk.
In the eyes of the Baatonou, Boko and Peul people, a child whose birth and early development deviates in any way from the accepted norm is cursed and must be destroyed.
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Posted by admin on Monday, July 18 @ 14:30:29 EDT (2225 reads)
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BENIN: Kerekou says will retire next year, will not change constitution to stay
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© Gouvernment du Benin
President Kerekou
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COTONOU, 12 Jul 2005 (IRIN) - President Mathieu Kerekou of Benin who has dominated the politics of this small West African country for over 30 years, has pledged to step down next year at the end of his current five-year term.
Speaking to a group of 200 primary and secondary school teachers at the presidential palace on Monday, the 72-year-old head of state said he would not be a candidate in presidential elections due in March 2006.
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Posted by admin on Tuesday, July 12 @ 09:45:08 EDT (1830 reads)
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