DAKAR, 23 March 2007 (IRIN) - DAKAR, 23 March 2007 (IRIN) - COTE D'IVOIRE: Drought and poor infrastructure spell water shortage in the west GUINEA-BISSAU: Fear of more insecurity with new political crisis BURKINA FASO: Mass vaccinations as meningitis strikes more than 10,000 people MALI: The trickle-down effect of water scarcity COTE D'IVOIRE: "Hostages in our own land"

COTE D'IVOIRE: Drought and poor infrastructure spell water shortage in the west

It is no longer only the women and children who spend their days looking for water in the towns and villages of southwestern Côte d'Ivoire. Since wells started drying up last December men of all ages can also be seen walking out into the bush carrying buckets.

"We have not known a drought like this for a very long time," said Lucie Ziadé, a housewife in Pinhou, a large village between the towns of Duekoué and Guiglo in Côte Ivoire's southwest.

It hasn't rained since December in the region of Duekoué, about 400km west of the main city, Abidjan. The southwest is where much of the country's rice, yams and manioc are produced, as well as the leading cash crops: cocoa, coffee and rubber.

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GUINEA-BISSAU: Fear of more insecurity with new political crisis

Guinea-Bissau's parliament has passed a no-confidence motion against the country's prime minister, triggering fears that more political instability could provoke violence as it has in the past.

Last week, many of President João Bernardo 'Nino' Vieira's former supporters in parliament defected, creating a new coalition, which on Monday voted for the dismissal of Prime Minister Aristides Gomes, the president's ally.

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BURKINA FASO: Mass vaccinations as meningitis strikes more than 10,000 people

Health authorities in Burkina Faso have launched a mass vaccination campaign in the capital, Ouagadougou, to combat a rapidly spreading meningitis epidemic that has claimed more than 800 lives.

"Ouagadougou has been hit to an extent that we did not expect," said Jean Gabriel Wango, secretary general of the country's health ministry.

Authorities are dispatching two health agents to each of the city's 620 vaccination sites. The vaccinations, which are free of charge, were to begin on Monday but officials said a shortage of health workers prompted a delay by one day. Authorities sought additional health workers from the medical school in Ouagadougou.

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MALI: The trickle-down effect of water scarcity

In the village of Toroli in Mali, 10-year-old Amadou waits for his father while sitting on the family's camel instead of going to Koranic school. As his father, Brahima Barry, a Fulani shepherd, explains, Amadou has to help the family gather water. The well is located several kilometres from their home.

"We have to go to the well to get water for both the family and the animals," Barry said. "If water was more accessible, it would change a lot of things in my life." Because of the water scarcity in Toroli, 200km from the regional capital, Mopti, Barry's son misses school to help transport the water back home on the camel during several trips. Poor water quality affects the family's health and its finances if someone falls sick from contaminated water and needs to go to a clinic.

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COTE D'IVOIRE: "Hostages in our own land"

Every morning at 8 a.m. Honoré Zon pedals his bicycle out to the village of Fengolo to work in his cocoa fields. As dusk approaches he knows it is time to leave when he hears the trucks.

"When I hear the noise of the vehicles of the United Nations soldiers I run to my bicycle and I follow them to Duekoué," said Zon. "Many other people do the same as me. That is how we're able to return to our homes without worrying."

Zon and other local residents say they follow the UN peacekeeping convoy to avoid being harassed, robbed or otherwise assaulted by criminals, including members of various militia groups operating in the area.

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