Zamfara was the first Nigerian state to declare full application of full Sharia law. Public schools had been closed by the teachers' protest. On Monday, students demonstrated against the strike but their march was marred by vandalization and clashes between youths and police. Ten people were wounded in the clashes, Lusa reported. The Gambian government took the decision in response to a similar exemption by the Mauritanian authorities.
Many Mauritanian traders live in The Gambia.
The Belgian government has decided to cancel a debt of over US 1 million owed by Sao Tome and Principe, Portuguese radio quoted Sao Tome Foreign Minister Rafael Branco as saying on his return home after an official visit to Belgium, Germany and Sweden. Branco said Belgium would also help train personnel and grant scholarships to Sao Tome students, Radiodifusao Portuguesa reported. Seventeen candidates approved for presidential elections Benin's constitutional court on Monday approved 17 out of 21 prospective candidates for presidential elections to be held on 4 March, PANA reported, quoting a source close to the court. The four rejected candidates were disqualified on medical, moral or procedural grounds, the source said. The material contained on this Web site comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.