West Africa The war that spread

摘要

For once the United Nations has got there before the television cameras. An investigating team, sent by Kofi Annan, the un's secretary-general, presented its report to the Security Council on Monday. It found a large chunk of West Africa at war with itself and starkly warned of the "rapid spread of insecurity and instability, unless urgent steps are taken to address the causes of conflict and turmoil." The steps it recommends—everything from more debt relief to freeing child soldiers-are mostly unrealistic, but at least the un has sounded the alarm. On the critical list are Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, but they could be joined by Nigeria, Cote d' Ivoire, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and the Casamance region of Senegal.