Libya told to pay Niger $112 000

NIAMEY – A Niger court has asked Libya to post a deposit of US$112 000 before taking up a libel suit against a local daily, which accused Muammar Gaddafi of funding Tuareg rebels, says a lawyer.

Kader Chaibou, a lawyer for the L’Evenement daily, said: “We had asked for 500 million CFA francs, but the judge said the sum of 52 million was ‘reasonable’.” Tripoli had been given 15 days to pay the money, he said.L’Evenement and two other newspapers in the semi-arid and impoverished west African nation had accused the Libyan head of state of financing a major insurgency that began in February, pitting Niger’s Tuaregs against the army.Gaddafi accused L’Evenement, L’Action and Le Canard Dechaine of defamation over their funding claim.The trial against L’Evenement was originally due to have begun on September 17 and then deferred to October 05.It was postponed again to October 15.When the trial opened on Monday, the judge agreed to the demand for a deposit, which conformed to local law.Foreigners launching legal action in Niger had to first pay a deposit to ensure the payment of damages and interest if the verdict went against their favour.The Libyan strongman wielded considerable influence over these indigenous Berber tribes who had lived a mostly nomadic life in the deep Sahara for centuries.L’Evenement’s managing editor, Moussa Aksar, meanwhile said: “I have submitted all the proof of Libyan backing to the rebels that I had.”Aksar said a Tuareg rebel leader in neighbouring Mali had told the newspaper that some of the rebel fighters had been trained in Libya.In Niger, many Tuaregs had settled in the Agadez highlands, where uranium was mined and they played a role in the adventure tourist industry.But this year, a group calling itself the Movement of Nigerians for Justice disavowed a peace deal signed in 1995, accusing the government of failing to respect aspects of that agreement.Neighbouring Mali, which lacked such known mineral resources, had also seen worsening Tuareg unrest this year, but the governments of both nations looked to Gaddafi to help mediate these conflicts.Nampa-AFPTripoli had been given 15 days to pay the money, he said.L’Evenement and two other newspapers in the semi-arid and impoverished west African nation had accused the Libyan head of state of financing a major insurgency that began in February, pitting Niger’s Tuaregs against the army.Gaddafi accused L’Evenement, L’Action and Le Canard Dechaine of defamation over their funding claim.The trial against L’Evenement was originally due to have begun on September 17 and then deferred to October 05.It was postponed again to October 15.When the trial opened on Monday, the judge agreed to the demand for a deposit, which conformed to local law.Foreigners launching legal action in Niger had to first pay a deposit to ensure the payment of damages and interest if the verdict went against their favour.The Libyan strongman wielded considerable influence over these indigenous Berber tribes who had lived a mostly nomadic life in the deep Sahara for centuries.L’Evenement’s managing editor, Moussa Aksar, meanwhile said: “I have submitted all the proof of Libyan backing to the rebels that I had.”Aksar said a Tuareg rebel leader in neighbouring Mali had told the newspaper that some of the rebel fighters had been trained in Libya.In Niger, many Tuaregs had settled in the Agadez highlands, where uranium was mined and they played a role in the adventure tourist industry.But this year, a group calling itself the Movement of Nigerians for Justice disavowed a peace deal signed in 1995, accusing the government of failing to respect aspects of that agreement.Neighbouring Mali, which lacked such known mineral resources, had also seen worsening Tuareg unrest this year, but the governments of both nations looked to Gaddafi to help mediate these conflicts.Nampa-AFP