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Nigeria rejoins Commonwealth
Edited for brevity.Deadly riots still flare at times, and Nigeria is regularly rated one of the worldâs most corrupt nations. Yet residents of this West African nationâs capital hope a summit of 52 leaders, including the Queen, will cement their nationâs return to the global fold after decades as a pariah. President Olusegun Obasanjoâs government hopes the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will prove the country is making progress on the democratic and economic reforms he promised when he was first elected in 1999, ending decades of military rule. Yet allegations of human-rights abuses â in Nigeria as well as suspended Commonwealth members Zimbabwe and Pakistan â are expected to surface during the summitâs candid behind-the-scenes discussions, in which leaders are traditionally discouraged from delivering written speeches. New York-based Human Rights Watch challenged the Commonwealth on Tuesday to use the summit to speak out about alleged rights abuses in Nigeria â including the stifling of free speech and the torture and killing of opposition activists â in the same way the global body did against Zimbabwe and Pakistan. They were suspended from the collective for thwarting democracy. Nigeria dismissed the report as âjaundiced and misconceived.â Also under scrutiny is Zimbabweâs status in the Commonwealth, which sees its key clout as shaming members with suspensions. Britain, Australia and Canada have warned of a split in the Commonwealth if Zimbabwe is reinstated as some African nations have requested. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has said he may decide to permanently withdraw from the body anyway. Posted by: Dar 2003-12-03 |
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