December 31, 2008

Today’s Ivorian dailies reported on assessments of significant events in 2008. The papers also reported on the identification and peace processes; they also carried New Year messages from the leader of the RDR political party and the Special Representative of the Secretary of the UN Mission in Cote d’Ivoire. Two dailies talked about Ibrahim Coulibaly’s (alias IB and ex-rebel leader) desire for talks with political leaders.
 
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): Reporting on the assessment of the major events that occurred in 2008, this paper said that the Minister of Economy and Finance highlighted three major events that hit the world: foodstuff, energy, and the financial crisis. According to the paper, the minister said these events pushed the Ivorian government to take measures for good governance and responsible management of public assets. The article further mentioned the fraud issues in the coffee and cocoa industry that brought 23 of the sector’s main leaders to jail.

2. On peace process, Fraternite Matin quoted the National Coordinator of the National Program for ex-combatants Reinsertion and Rehabilitation as saying: “Ouaga IV does not endanger the National Program for Reinsertion and Rehabilitation. Rather, it enhances the implementation of this Program.”   

3. In a headline story on the peace process, L’intelligent d’Abidjan (an independent daily) quoted Ble Goude, the President of Young Patriots as saying: “I fear a second war.” According to the daily, he insisted on the disarmament of the ex-combatants, and asked for forgiveness for his trespasses.

4. On the identification and voter registration process, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) said that the Independent Electoral Commission warned the Ivorian population against fraudulent practices.  

5. Fraternite Matin reported on the RDR party leader, Alassane Ouattara’s, message for the New Year in which he said:  “I dream of a reconciliated and prosperous Ivorian nation.” In a prominent front-page story, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) summarized Alassane Ouattara’s message as follows: two priorities to be achieved are the National Identity Card processing and the organizing of the presidential election. The paper also said that Ouattara dreams of a united Ivorian nation in 2009.

6. Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party): The daily published a New Year’s message from the Special Representative of the Secretary of the United Nations Mission in Cote d’Ivoire. According to the paper, the Special Envoy urged Ivoirians to consolidate their accomplishment on the peace process, such as the identification and voter registration processes on progress, in order to conduct the presidential elections in 2009. He also said in the message that the UN will continue to assist Cote d’Ivoire in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement for a peaceful ending of the crisis. Le Nouveau Reveil reported on the same subject.

7. L’inter (an independent daily): On the peace process, the daily reported that Ibrahim Coulibaly alias IB sent his representative to change negative feelings about him. IB was accused leading destabilization actions and instigating the revolt in the Ivorian main prison in Abidjan as reported in the December 15 edition of Fraternite Matin. (Note that IB left the country as a political exile.)  In today’s Fraternite Matin, the paper said in a headline story that IB is available for dialogue. During a press conference, the representative of the ex-rebel leader declared that IB is favorable to sincere discussions with the Ivorian political leaders. 

December 30, 2008

Ivorian newspapers today reported on difficulties encountered in the implementation of the identification and voter registration process in Bouake and other places up country. Other reports said that the Independent Electoral Commission has worked out a plan for the upcoming presidential election. Dailies also reported on the lack of financial support for the disarmament and identification processes; as well as on the ex-rebel leader, Wattao, who is reportedly conducting security operations mission in the west of Cote d’Ivoire. 

1.  Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front page headline said: “Voter registration in Bouake: the populations are disadvantaged.” The paper explained that an NGO leader based in Bouake reported that foreigners from the West African Economic Community were being registered, while native Ivoirians from the villages could not be identified due to the destruction of the public records.

2.  In a separate development, the daily reported that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has worked out the plan for the upcoming Ivorian presidential election without giving a date for the elections. According to the article, the agenda for the presidential elections is subject to the completion of the identification and voter registration processes. The paper further reported that the IEC expressed concerns about the crucial problem of financial support that may jeopardize the electoral process.

3.  Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) reported in a prominent front-page story that the government refused to disburse money for the voter registration and identification process to places up country.  According to the article, the financial issue would jeopardize plans for the upcoming presidential elections. 

4.  L’Inter (an independent daily):  In a prominent front-page story, the paper said: “Wattao expelled Zackarias’ groups.”  The article said that Issiaka Ouattara alias Wattao (a former rebel leader) expelled the ex-rebel leader’s group from Bonoufla, one of the strategic sites of the former zone of confidence, which is located between the Government-controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles north.

5.  Reporting on the same subject, Le Matin d’Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) quoted Wattao as saying: “We are ready to surrender the cities.”  The article stated that since last Friday, the government sent missions to deal with security operations in the western part of the country. It added that Commandant Wattao is carrying out General Mangou’s orders on security issues in the west of the country. 

6.  In another development, L’Inter reported on the peace process as viewed by three of the major political party leaders, during an interview with ONUCI FM : Henri Konan Bedie from PDCI suggested that April 2009 would be the best date for the presidential election; Pascal Affi N’Guessan from the FPI ruling party emphasized that a political determination is essential; and Francis Wodie from PIT deplored the general impoverishment of the population and affirmed the necessity of peace by putting an end to the crisis. 

7.  L’Inter: Reporting on the financing of the disarming of the ex-combatants, the paper cited Alain Lobognon, the special Advisor of the Prime Minister as saying:”The international community does not play its part.” He said this during an interview with ONUCI FM, during which he accused the financial backers of blocking the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) had a similar report on the same issue.

December 29, 2008

Reports in Monday’s newspapers in Cote d’Ivoire said that the government will deploy the army in the western region to protect farmers. Other reports said that the redeployment of public services and restoration of the state authority will be effective throughout the country by January 15, 2009. The political situation in the neighboring Guinea after the military power takeover and possible strike in the public services as from January were the other major reports in today’s dailies. During the Christmas holiday the papers reported on rumors of coup d’etat in Cote d’Ivoire as well as the funeral of the late Guinean president, President Lansana Conte.   

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A prominent story in this paper said that in a bid to ensure security in the western cocoa-rich region, President Laurent Gbagbo has decided to deploy the army in this region. According to the paper, the Ivorian leader made this announcement over the weekend when he met with farmers.  The report further said that the Ivorian Chief of Defense Staff, General Philippe Mangou, who was also at this meeting, was instructed by the president “to send elements of defense and security forces to the western region in order to enable farmers, who fled the region because of the war, to return to their plantations.” The paper quoted President Gbagbo as saying that the decision to send military forces to this region is “to boost cocoa and coffee productions in Cote d’Ivoire… and this would become possible only if the security of farmers is guaranteed.”  

2. Reporting on the same issue, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) in an editorial asserted that Gbagbo’s meeting with farmers on Saturday marked “the end of tribalism in party politics in Cote d’Ivoire.” Among the farmers who turned up en masse to meet President Gbagbo, 10,000 were from the Baoule ethnic group, according to the  report. The report also said that the Baoule framers used the opportunity to celebrate the Ivorian President who told them that “All Ivorians are equal.” [NOTE: Former Ivorian President-turned opposition leader Henri Konan Bedie is Baoule.] 

3. A New Year message to Ivorians from Mr. Bedie, who is also the leader of the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, was a subject of a front-page story in Le Nouveau Reveil. This daily close to the PDCI-RDA party quoted part of Bedie’s message as saying that “under Gbagbo’s administration, Cote d’Ivoire has become a banana republic.” Depicting the social situation in Cote d’Ivoire, the message said that “poverty is increasingly gaining ground in Cote d’Ivoire where many people can no longer afford more than a meal a day.”

4. The social situation in Cote d’Ivoire was also a front-page story in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition). According to the paper, January 2009 is likely to be an uneasy month, as civil servants are threatening to go on strike to demand salary increases. The paper quoted Soro Mamadou Secretary General of Synesci – Secondary School Teachers Union – as saying that the syndicate could launch a strike on January 20 if the government does not satisfy their demands.

5. In a related development, a report in Notre Voie said that consumers are preparing to stage a street demonstration as part of a campaign for the reduction of the gas price in Cote d’Ivoire. The report said consumer associations meeting recently in Abidjan said that the recent cut in gas price by the government was insufficient… because the price reduction did not reflect price of the commodity on the international market.”

6. On matters concerning the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire, a prominent report in the weekend edition of Fraternite Matin said that the redeployment of public services and restoration of the state authority will be effective throughout the country by January 15, 2009. The paper was referring to the Complementary Ouagadougou Political Agreement that was signed a few days ago by the Ivorian political stakeholders. The paper also published a statement issued by the United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) on Friday saying that the signing of the Complementary Ouagadougou Political Agreement “marks a new step in the peace process.”

7. Reporting on the political situation in the neighboring Guinea, Notre Voie denounced what it called “the dirty game” being played by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade who called for support for the military junta that seized power in this country following the death of President Lansana Conte. The paper noted that Wade’s call came at a time the international community and regional groupings -- like ECOWAS and UA – were putting pressure on the junta to relinquish power and to abide by the Constitution.

8. Many newspapers today reported that Cote d’Ivoire will host the African Nations Championship (CHAN). The soccer tournament, which is scheduled to kick off on February 22 in Abidjan is a new tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football, where national teams may field only locally-based players. Fraternite Matin quoted the Chairman of Ivorian Football Federation as saying that Country will need Francs CFA 5 billion (about $11 million) to organize the competition.

9.  During the Christmas break – 12/25-12/26, the papers reported on rumors of coup d’etat in Cote d’Ivoire. A prominent story in Le Matin d’Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) said that security has been stepped in Cote d’Ivoire’s economic capital Abidjan following the discovery of war ammunitions in Yopougon, a suburb of Abidjan. According to the paper, the arms cache was discovered when CECOS – a special security apparatus – swept the area.

10. A report in Nord-Sud Quotidien said that the disbandment of the militia groups operation in the western region of Cote d’Ivoire could be delayed, as “some hardliners of the ruling FPI party have blocked the program.”

11. Fraternite Matin also reported on the funeral of former President Lansana Conte, whose death last week sparked a military coup. The report said three West African leaders – including President Gbagbo attended the ceremony.  

December 24, 2008

The political uncertainty in neighboring Guinea (Conakry) following the death of President Lansana Conte was the topic of headline stories in many Ivorian newspapers today. Some dailies also reminded readers about the December 24, 1999 coup d’etat in Cote d’Ivoire that ousted President Henri Konan Bedie from power. The Ivorian peace process; security headaches in the former buffer zone; and calls from the Moslem community to President Laurent Gbagbo to help bring back home Ivorian pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia, were the other major stories.

1. Fraternite Matin (state-owned daily): The paper published the full text of a condolence message from President Laurent Gbagbo to the Guinean Prime Minister on the death of President Lansana Conte. In his message, President Gbagbo called the late president “a patriot.”  The message also said that “Ivorians remember that at the beginning of the socio-political crisis in Cote d’Ivoire in September 2002, President Lansana Conte supported the legality and legitimacy of Ivorian Government’s institutions. During the events that marked the Ivorian crisis, the position of President Lansana Conte did not change. The people of Cote d’Ivoire will remember him as a patriot who was committed to the values of justice and equity.”

2. In an interview with Fraternite Matin, the Guinean Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Camara Makhissa, described the late president as “a man of peace.” According to the paper, the diplomat recalled that in March 2003, the UN Security Council, which was then chaired by Guinea, was to decide whether Guinea should send or not troops to Iraq; President Conte rejected the proposal saying “I won’t sign for war.” President Conte, Ambassador Camara said, was always guided by the principle that “Guinea will never serve as a launching base for any rebels trying to attack a neighboring country.”

3. Recalling the December 24, 1999 coup d’etat that toppled former Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) published a three-page report on the sequence of events leading to the overthrow. The report also said that this power takeover plunged Cote d’Ivoire in chaos and only Mr. Bedie is the only man, who can help reverse the situation. 

4. Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party): A prominent story in this paper said that the death of President Conte has prompted the UN troops stationed in Cote d’Ivoire to be on “high alert”. The paper carried an international media report saying that the UN Secretary General Special Representative in Cote d’Ivoire “has instructed the UN troops to keep “a watchful eye on the border between Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea so as to pre-empt events in Guinea from spilling over to Cote d’Ivoire.” The report quoted the UN Spokesperson in Abidjan saying that “the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) is working closely with the armies of other neighboring countries to secure the Ivorian frontiers during the electoral period.”

5. On security issues in Cote d’Ivoire, a prominent report in L’inter (an independent daily) said that government’s forces of defense and security and the New Forces Armed Forces have decided to join forces to hunt down elements close to Sergeant Ibrahim Coulibaly (a former rebel and arch-rival of New Forces’ leader) and Kone Zakaria (a disgruntled New Forces’ warlord, who is now living in exile in Ouagadougou). According to the paper, commanders of the two security forces met yesterday to map out a common strategy on how to restore security in the former buffer zone. The paper also reported that a source close to the meeting remarked that this territory is increasingly becoming a den of armed robberies and this is blamed on supporters of Sergeant Coulibaly and Kone.

6. Regarding the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire, a front-page story in Fraternite Matin said the Carter Center has recommended an electoral timetable that takes into account realities on the ground, the delay of operations to be completed, as well as the legal framework. According to the report, this was one of the recommendations contained in a public statement issued yesterday by the Carter Center, which had conducted a fact-finding mission to evaluate the identification process and the voter registration exercise in preparation for the coming presidential elections. [NOTE: Under the terms of an agreement signed on November 7, 2008, the Government of the United States of America provided a grant in the amount of $200,000 to the Carter Center to contribute funding the Center’s political monitoring and electoral observation project in Cote d’Ivoire.  The goal of the project is to support the peaceful resolution of Cote d’Ivoire’s political crisis through democratic processes and representational government.]  

7. Finally, a report in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said that about 1,700 Ivorian pilgrims are stranded in Saudi Arabia, where they took part in the hajj a few days ago. According to the report, Moslem leaders meeting yesterday appealed to President Gbagbo to use every means possible to bring the pilgrims back home.                      

December 23, 2008

Press reports in Cote d’Ivoire today said that the presidential camp and the New Forces – the former rebel group – signed the much anticipated agreement to resolve military issues and to pave the way for the redeployment of public services throughout the country. An independent daily said that witch-hunting is still continuing in the zones formerly under the control of the New Forces. Other dailies carried prominent stories on President Laurent Gbagbo’s ambitious development project dubbed “The 2035 Grand Abidjan”. On economic issues, the dailies announced that after a preliminary assessment, Cote d’Ivoire is eligible for assistance under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC).

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front-page report in this paper said the presidential camp and the New Forces – the former rebel group – yesterday signed a complementary agreement in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. According to the report the contents of the deal called “The Fourth Ouagadougou Agreement” would be made public only after President Laurent Gbagbo and the New Forces leader-turned, Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, sign the official document. The paper also noted that the date of January 15, 2009 would mark a cornerstone in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, which was signed in March 2007. According to the report, by January 15, 2009, New Forces’ military commanders would have to transfer their powers to the Prefects (District Chief Executives), and that the redeployment of public services would effectively resumed in the central, western and northern regions formerly under the control of the New Forces. The report also said that thorny questions, like the ranks and number of ex-rebels to be integrated into the new Ivorian army, were also resolved. The report also said five thousand former rebels will join the new army, while a commission will work on the structure of this new army.

2. On further reporting on the signing of the agreement, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) called it “the last solution” to resolve the political stalemate in Cote d’Ivoire. “We’ve reached an agreement on the military issues,” the paper quoted New Forces’ Spokesperson Sidiki Konate as saying.  The head of the presidential delegation reportedly said: “We are satisfied with the agreement.” Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) called the agreement “President Compaore’s X-mass gift for Cote d’Ivoire.” Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) said the atmosphere was tense yesterday in Ouagadougou during the negotiations. The paper went on to express its skepticism as to whether this complementary deal could help settle differences between the two sides.

3. Le Matin d’Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) accused the Ivorian Prime Minister of threatening national cohesion. The paper referred to what it called “Soro’s petit political tricks” which the paper said are likely to derail the Ivorian peace process. According to the paper, “the integration of thousands of former rebels into the army poses a problem because this would result in the creation of a tribal army.” 

4. Regarding the atmosphere in the central, western and northern regions formerly under the control of the New Forces, L’inter (an independently daily) told readers that supporters of the disgruntled former warlord Zakaria Kone – who is now living in exile in Burkina Faso – are subjected to harassment. The report said that a few days ago Kone’s deputy commander was arrested and he is now in custody. Yesterday four other cronies of Kone were arrested, said the paper, quoting reliable sources. The report further said that the parents of those who were arrested fear that they could be “summarily executed, as it was the case in the past.”  

On other issues, Fraternite Matin carried a front-page architectural model dubbed “The 2035 Grand Abidjan.” The paper reported that the model, which was unveiled yesterday by President Gbagbo and flanked by Pierre Fakhoury, a renowned architect who designed the Yamoussoukro Basilica. The project, explained the paper, will include the construction of sophisticated roads and new areas in order to enable Cote d’Ivoire’s economic capital Abidjan to be able to accommodate its population that will swell to 10 million in 2035. Reporting on a similar issue, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) said that this development project is not something new because the blueprint was adopted in 1998 under the regime of Henri Konan Bedie, the ex-Ivorian President.

5. On economic issues, a report in Fraternite Matin said that after a preliminary assessment, the boards of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have decided that Cote d’Ivoire is eligible for assistance under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. The report however said that Cote d’Ivoire will have to show that it can fully account for budget expenditure and implement measures put in place in connection with the post-crisis assistance projects. In a related development, the paper also reported on the visit to Cote d’Ivoire of the Vice-president for Africa of the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group that finances and provides advice for private sector ventures and projects in developing countries. The report said that the World Bank’s official met with Ivorian Finance and Development Planning Ministers to discuss a plan aimed at reviving the private sector economy in Cote d’Ivoire.

 

December 22, 2008

Reports in today’s Ivorian press said that the presidential and New Forces delegations meeting in Ouagadougou are to sign a complementary agreement today in Ouagadougou. The date of the long-delayed presidential elections was also a subject of front-page item in dailies. The role of the civic groups in Cote d’Ivoire’s peace process; the identification and voter registration exercise and the disarmament program were the other major issues in today’s newspapers.

1.  Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front-page story in this paper said that the presidential and New Forces delegations are to meet today in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou in a bid to sign a deal dubbed “Ouagadougou IV” designed to push forward the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire. According to the paper, the discussions focused on the ranks/grades and the number of ex-rebels to be integrated into the Ivorian army. The paper further quoted sources close to the negotiations as saying that “The two factions have agreed on the question of grades of the former rebels.”

2. Regarding the date of the coming presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire, Fraternite Matin quoted a Vice-president of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) as saying that “it is the responsibility of the body in charge to organize the polls to propose a date.” According to the report, the deputy electoral commissioner was reacting to statement made last week by the RHDP – an opposition alliance -- in which the group proposed April 2009 as deadline date for the first round of the long-delayed presidential polls in Cote d’Ivoire.

3. L’intelligent d’Abidjan (an independent daily): The leader of the Young Patriots (a movement supportive of President Laurent Gbagbo) made headline in this daily. The paper quoted Charles Ble Goude as saying that “without the disarmament, there could be no serious elections in Cote d’Ivoire.” The youth leader, the report said, believed that the leader of the New Forces-turned Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, would “gain a lot if the disarmament was completed before the elections,” because “his [Soro] security depends on the disarmament” of the former combatants.   

4. Meanwhile, with a picture of Soro in a pensive mood on its front page, L’inter (a privately-owned daily) hinted that the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire is under threat. The paper reported on a war of words between two rival groups, believed to be close to the Prime Minister and to the Young Patriots respectively. “We’ll demand the resignation of Soro,” the paper quoted a leading member of the Young Patriots as saying. In a different story, the paper quoted a supporter of the Prime Minister as suggesting that the best way out of the current political stalemate is “to allow the Prime Minister to continue his work.” The Prime Minister’s supporter further warned that “He who will try to remove Gbagbo and Soro from office will face the consequences.” A prominent story in Soir Info (a privately-owned daily) also had it that a violent attack is under preparation in Cote d’Ivoire. According to the paper, arms cache has been discovered in Cote d’Ivoire’s capital Abidjan. 

MEDIA REACTION TO U. S. EMBASSY ABIDJAN AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES

Notre Voie provided an intensive and positive coverage of a conference organized by the US Embassy on December 18 on the US President elect, Barack Obama. The report was on the presentation made by a local speaker who highlighted Mr. Obama’s achievement.  

December 19, 2008

Reports in today’s Ivorian press said that the presidential and New Forces delegations meeting in Ouagadougou failed to sign a complementary agreement yesterday as the two sides are divided over the issue of rank/grades of former rebel leaders. Dailies also said that the RHDP – an alliance of major political groups – have proposed April 2009 as the date for the long-delayed presidential elections. Cote d’Ivoire’s 2009 budget; the 35th ECOWAS Summit in Abuja, Nigeria and the release of Asse Alafe, a journalist and publisher of L’intelligent d’Abidjan, were the other major stories in today’s newspapers.  

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front-page story in this paper said that the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire has reached a turning point as presidential and New Forces delegations meeting in Ouagadougou are trying to reach a consensus on sticking points such as the ranks/grades and the number of ex-rebels to be integrated into the Ivorian army. The report said that the head of the New Forces’ delegation at the negotiation, Alain Lobognon expressed “optimism” with reassurance that “There was no stumbling block. The text is ready and will be signed on Monday [December 22].” According to the paper, the two delegations were received separately on December 18 by the Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore, who is also the facilitator in the Ivorian peace process.

2. More on the negotiations, Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) reported that the fresh Ouagadougou negotiations, designed to pave the way for a complementary agreement, are hitting on some “thorny” military issues including the disarmament of the former combatants. According to the paper, the New Forces do not reject the demand for their disarmament but they are insisting that the militia groups should also hand over their guns. In a commentary, the paper accused the ruling FPI party of trying to jeopardize peace in the country. The commentary came as a reaction to a document published by sections of media outlets yesterday with excerpts saying that “the FPI and CNRD think that without the disarmament, there will be no real reunification of the country, because the State cannot have power over the entire national territory.”

3. In a rejoinder published today by Fraternite Matin, the party of President Gbagbo said the report attributed to the FPI party is not from the party’s office, and therefore the ruling FPI party is “not the author.”

4. L’inter (an independent daily) reported on the meeting of leaders of RHDP – an Ivorian opposition alliance – meeting yesterday in which the group talked about the proposal of April 2009 as deadline date for the first round of the long-delayed presidential polls in Cote d’Ivoire. The paper published a statement, which said the four leaders of the coalition, including former Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie, called for UN peacekeeping troops and French soldiers deployed in Cote d’Ivoire to ensure security during the elections. Reporting on the same issue, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) quoted the opposition leaders as saying that “the Supreme Court is not qualified to settle any electoral dispute.”

5.  In a front-page story, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) reported that the opposition coalition has decided to delay the disarmament program. According to the paper, this was one of the conclusions of the meeting of leaders of the opposition coalition yesterday.

6. The announcement of Cote d’Ivoire’s 2009 budget was a subject of a prominent story in Fraternite Matin. Talking about the components of the new budget, the paper disclosed that the budget takes into account salary increases. The new budget also makes provisions for the government to pay its local and foreign debts and to implement post-crisis projects including the redeployment of the public services across the country, civic education and disarmament programs, the organization of the general elections and other programs for local communities.

7. Fraternite Matin also reported that West African leaders including President Gbagbo are set to meet today in Abuja, Nigeria as part of the 35th ECOWAS Summit. According to the paper, issues relating to transport, energy and peace in the sub-region will be high on the agenda during this conference. The report further said that West African leaders will also evaluate the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire and confirm President Blaise Compaore as the facilitator in the Ivorian crisis.

8. On matters concerning media, L’intelligent d’Abidjan announced that Mr. Asse Alafe, a journalist, who is also the publisher of this independent daily, was released yesterday. According to the paper, the decision to release the publisher came after President Gbagbo granted him pardon. The paper called the presidential decision “an end- of-year gift to the media in Cote d’Ivoire.” Mr. Alafe was jailed on November 4 after he was convicted by a court in Abidjan for forging identity documents. 

December 18, 2008

Reports in today’s Ivorian press said that the presidential and New Forces delegations meeting in Ouagadougou failed to sign a complementary agreement yesterday as the two sides are divided over the issue of rank/grades of former rebel leaders. Dailies also said that the RHDP – an alliance of major political groups – have proposed April 2009 as the date for the long-delayed presidential elections. Cote d’Ivoire’s 2009 budget; the 35th ECOWAS Summit in Abuja, Nigeria and the release of Asse Alafe, a journalist and publisher of L’intelligent d’Abidjan, were the other major stories in today’s newspapers.
  
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front-page story in this paper said that the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire has reached a turning point as presidential and New Forces delegations meeting in Ouagadougou are trying to reach a consensus on sticking points such as the ranks/grades and the number of ex-rebels to be integrated into the Ivorian army. The report said that the head of the New Forces’ delegation at the negotiation, Alain Lobognon expressed “optimism” with reassurance that “There was no stumbling block. The text is ready and will be signed on Monday [December 22].” According to the paper, the two delegations were received separately on December 18 by the Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore, who is also the facilitator in the Ivorian peace process.

2. More on the negotiations, Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) reported that the fresh Ouagadougou negotiations, designed to pave the way for a complementary agreement, are hitting on some “thorny” military issues including the disarmament of the former combatants. According to the paper, the New Forces do not reject the demand for their disarmament but they are insisting that the militia groups should also hand over their guns. In a commentary, the paper accused the ruling FPI party of trying to jeopardize peace in the country. The commentary came as a reaction to a document published by sections of media outlets yesterday with excerpts saying that “the FPI and CNRD think that without the disarmament, there will be no real reunification of the country, because the State cannot have power over the entire national territory.”

3. In a rejoinder published today by Fraternite Matin, the party of President Gbagbo said the report attributed to the FPI party is not from the party’s office, and therefore the ruling FPI party is “not the author.”

4. L’inter (an independent daily) reported on the meeting of leaders of RHDP – an Ivorian opposition alliance – meeting yesterday in which the group talked about the proposal of April 2009 as deadline date for the first round of the long-delayed presidential polls in Cote d’Ivoire. The paper published a statement, which said the four leaders of the coalition, including former Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie, called for UN peacekeeping troops and French soldiers deployed in Cote d’Ivoire to ensure security during the elections. Reporting on the same issue, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) quoted the opposition leaders as saying that “the Supreme Court is not qualified to settle any electoral dispute.”

5.  In a front-page story, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) reported that the opposition coalition has decided to delay the disarmament program. According to the paper, this was one of the conclusions of the meeting of leaders of the opposition coalition yesterday.

6. The announcement of Cote d’Ivoire’s 2009 budget was a subject of a prominent story in Fraternite Matin. Talking about the components of the new budget, the paper disclosed that the budget takes into account salary increases. The new budget also makes provisions for the government to pay its local and foreign debts and to implement post-crisis projects including the redeployment of the public services across the country, civic education and disarmament programs, the organization of the general elections and other programs for local communities.

7. Fraternite Matin also reported that West African leaders including President Gbagbo are set to meet today in Abuja, Nigeria as part of the 35th ECOWAS Summit. According to the paper, issues relating to transport, energy and peace in the sub-region will be high on the agenda during this conference. The report further said that West African leaders will also evaluate the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire and confirm President Blaise Compaore as the facilitator in the Ivorian crisis.

8. On matters concerning media, L’intelligent d’Abidjan announced that Mr. Asse Alafe, a journalist, who is also the publisher of this independent daily, was released yesterday. According to the paper, the decision to release the publisher came after President Gbagbo granted him pardon. The paper called the presidential decision “an end- of-year gift to the media in Cote d’Ivoire.” Mr. Alafe was jailed on November 4 after he was convicted by a court in Abidjan for forging identity documents. 

December 18, 2008
 

Ivorian press today reported that the composition of Cote d’Ivoire’s future national armed forces and issues relating to the grade and number of ex-rebels to join the new army will be on the top of the agenda for the Ouagadougou Political Agreement meeting today in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou. Another report said that “witch-hunting” continues in the central city of Seguela following a recent attack on a New Forces’ arms depot. Debt relief assistance and the release of Ebenezer Viwami, editor of “Alerte Info” an independent news agency based in Abidjan and President Laurent Gbagbo’s trip to Nigeria were the other major stories in today’s newspapers.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A prominent story in this paper said the presidential camp and the New Forces are to sign a complementary accord today in Ouagadougou in an attempt to boost the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire.  The paper published a document, which, it said, was drafted by President Blaise Compaore, who is also the facilitator in the Ivorian peace process. According to the paper, the blueprint contains recommendations that would help settle issues relating to the disarmament of the former combatants, disbandment of militia groups, and the lingering disagreement over the grades and the number of former rebels, who are to be integrated into the Ivoirian future national armed forces. The blue-print also addresses other major issues like the voter identification process, the funding of the peace process, and the reestablishment of state authority throughout the country.  

2. Fraternite Matin published another document, which it said, was drafted by the ruling FPI party and CNRD [Congres National pour la Resistance et la Democartie] – a coalition of parties and associations supportive of President Gbagbo. A portion of this document says “the FPI and CNRD think that without the disarmament, there will be no real reunification of the country, because the State cannot have power over the entire national territory.” For the paper, the parties supporting President Gbagbo continue to press for disarmament before the presidential elections.  

3. Soir Info (an independent daily) also published the draft document believed to be the text that President Compaore, who brokered the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, will put forward during today’s fresh negotiations between the presidential camp and the New Forces. In a critical analysis, the paper noted that the plan recommends the integration of 5,000 New Forces’ elements into the future Cote d’Ivoire national armed forces that will be put in place “only after the presidential elections.” The paper said “indirectly, the so-called draft agreement is saying that the disarmament of the ex-combatants of the New Forces will become effective after the elections,” and predicted “a standoff” between the two sides.      
 
4. Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) reported on a meeting that brought together on December 17 cadres of the PDCI-RDA. On the outcomes of the meeting, the paper said that the party demanded that the next date that is decided for the presidential elections should be the final. In a related development, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) announced that leaders of the Rally of the Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace – a four-party opposition coalition – are meeting today in Abidjan to discuss the calendar of the coming elections, voter registration program and free access for opposition parties to the state broadcasting corporation (RTI).

5. Le Jour Plus (a daily close to the opposition): A front-page story in this paper said that elements close to Kone Zacharia [a renegade former New Forces’ warlord now in exile in Burkina Faso] are being subjected to “witch-hunting.” According to the paper, arrests of Kone’s men started after elements supportive of the former warlord attempted to take control of an arms depot in Seguela a couple of weeks ago.

6. On economic issues, Fraternite Matin reported that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have approved the demand by Cote d’Ivoire for the relief of its debt as part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries’ debt initiative. According to the paper, this was announced yesterday by the Country Directors of the two institutions in Abidjan. The paper also said that this approval will pave the way for Cote d’Ivoire to enjoy $14 billion in debt relief.

7. Another front-page story in Fraternite Matin announced the release of Ebenezer Viwami editor of Alerte Info an independent news agency based in Abidjan. The journalist was arrested last Saturday for allegedly publishing false news on a riot at the prison in Abidjan. In a related development, the paper published a statement issued by State Prosecutor saying that “two people died after mutinous prisoners temporarily took over buildings at Cote d’Ivoire's main jail last weekend in a revolt that also caused injuries to six inmates.” The report also said that “After the mutiny broke out Saturday a prisoner was stabbed by an inmate and later died at Abidjan military hospital.”

8.  Fraternite Matin also announced that President Gbagbo is expected today in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, where he will take part in the ECOWAS Summit. The report said that the conference will focus on regional issues including projects designed to revamp economic infrastructures in the sub-region.                   

December 17, 2008

Ivorian newspapers said that the Independent Electoral Commission on December 16 met with civil society groups on how to involve them in the ongoing electoral process. Problems associated with the identification program and the question over the disarmament of the former Ivorian rebels before general elections were also subjects of prominent stories in today’s papers. New developments after riots at the Abidjan prison also known as MACA and the visit of Russia businessmen in search of business opportunities in Cote d’Ivoire were the other top stories in December 17 dailies. Dailies also reported on the conference on media and elections organized yesterday by the US Embassy in Abidjan.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A report in this paper said that the Independent Electoral Commission, the body charged to organize the coming general elections in Cote d’Ivoire, met yesterday with civil society groups on how to get these groups involved in the electoral process. Described as a genuine engine for sensitization, the paper quoted the electoral commissioner as saying that civil society groups could play an important role in helping “to prepare the ground for elections observation and to pre-empt fraud during the polls.”

2. In a related development, Fraternite Matin reported that a group of Ivorian intellectuals from different political parties is calling for the long-delayed presidential elections to be held before June 30, 2009. Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Abidjan, the spokesperson of the group [Observatoire pour les elections en Cote d’Ivoire], Maurice Kacou Guikahue, reportedly said that the group has been tasked “to follow the identification process and the voter registration exercise; to ensure that voter’s cards are well distributed, to ensure that all political parties have free access to the state media in order to enable them to sensitize the population on the electoral process.”

3. Le Matin d’Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) carried a prominent story accusing the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, of “disinformation”. The paper quoted the Prime Minister, who is currently in Paris as part of a private visit, as saying that “the debate on whether to complete the disarmament before the elections is ill-timed.” Reacting to this statement, the paper noted that Mr. Soro has rejected the demand for the disarmament made recently by the ruling FPI party. Reporting also on the Prime Minister’s statement, L’inter (an independent daily) said that for Mr. Soro to claim that “no territory is under the control of the New Forces in Cote d’Ivoire,” was not “true.”

4. In a related development, L’intelligent d’Abidjan (an independent daily) quoted the Speaker of Cote d’Ivoire Parliament, Mamadou Koulibaly, who claimed that the Ouagadougou Political Agreement is “uncompleted” because it does not address many key issues. Mr. Koulibaly, who is also the leading member of the ruling FPI party, said that the accord makes provisions for some good recommendations – including the disarmament of the former combatants – but it does not say where to get funding for their implementation. As a solution, the Speaker of Cote d’Ivoire Parliament, the report said, suggested that “the revenue collection in the zones formerly under the control of the New Forces should start quickly so as use this money for the disarmament.”

5. In a prominent report, Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition), expressed concerns about the security during the coming presidential elections. The report said that the UN peacekeeping forces in Cote d’Ivoire will not move an inch to stop any violence because their mandate does not allow them to do so. The paper quoted the spokesperson of the UN forces in Cote d’Ivoire as saying: “With 8,000 troops we cannot be present everywhere.” The paper also doubted about the capacity of the Integrated Center for Command – a joint government and New Forces security apparatus – to contain any trouble that could occur during the elections. 
 
6. Reporting on the mood in the Abidjan prison following the three-day riot, Soir Info (an independent daily) said that many parents who wanted to visit the inmates yesterday could not do so because security forces cordoned off the jail. According to the paper, renegade prisoners who spearheaded the revolt were transferred to another prison in the central city of Dimbokro. 

7. On bilateral issues, Fraternite Matin reported that Russian businessmen on Monday met with President Laurent Gbagbo to discuss business opportunities in Cote d’Ivoire.

MEDIA REACTION TO U.S. – EMBASSY ABIDJAN – AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES
A conference on media and elections organized yesterday by the US Embassy in Abidjan received an intensive and positive coverage in many pro and anti-government local media outlets including Fraternite Matin, Le Nouveau Reveil, L’inter, L’intelligent d’Abidjan, Le Temps, RTI-TV (state-run broadcasting), Radio Al-Bayane and Radio Nationale Catholic (Muslim Roman Catholic radio stations respectively). The coverage emphasized the importance of balanced news reports and the right for the journalists to have a free access to information

December 16, 2008

Reports in today’s daily said that the World Bank will provide FCFA 60 billion (about $120 million) in aid to Cote d'Ivoire for the country's post-war reconstruction. The recent riot by inmates in Cote d’Ivoire’s main prison in Abidjan also known as MACA was again a dominant issue in the Ivorian newspapers. Recent developments on the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire; efforts by Cote d’Ivoire’s authorities to address the impact of global warming; a conference on how to track down funding for terrorist networks and the decision by the Ivorian mayors to close down town halls across the country to press for government’s subsidies were the other major news items. Dailies also reported on a conference organized by the US Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights and on the conference on media and elections scheduled for today.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A report in this paper said that the World Bank will provide FCFA 60 billion (about $120 million) in aid to Cote d'Ivoire for the country's post-war reconstruction. According to the paper, this was announced yesterday in Abidjan by World Bank country director for Cote d'Ivoire Madani Tall, during a press conference. The money will be used to “reinforce the administration of the whole territory,” Mr. Tall reportedly said. Tall further said that “the cocoa and coffee industry has always been the very symbol of Cote d’Ivoire that was able to build its development and its economic miracle on these commodities.” However, Mr. Tall deplored the redistribution of the revenues from this industry. According to the paper, Tall said “The World Bank cannot alone denounce the lack of transparency in the cocoa and coffee industry.”

2. In another development, Fraternite Matin carried reactions from the Ivorian Justice Minister Mamadou Kone, following a protest staged over the weekend by inmates in the Abidjan prison over new security measures put in place by officials. The Minister said “No one was killed;” this is in reaction to allegations that inmates were killed during the riot. He further said “There were only people who were injured… and no woman was raped.”

3. Meanwhile, a prominent story in L’inter (an independent daily) said that one prisoner was killed and scores were injured following fresh violent clashes yesterday in the prison in Abidjan. According to the report, the violence occurred when the police launched an operation “to clean the jail from anything that could be dangerous” after Saturday’s disturbances. In a separate story, the paper predicted that a coup d’etat may happen in Cote d’Ivoire in the coming two weeks. According to the paper, rumors had it that “some war dogs” were planning to cause mayhem at the end of this month. 

4. A report in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said that the Ivorian Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, who is currently in Paris on a private visit, met yesterday with the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet on the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire. The report also said that in his address at a press conference, Prime Minister Soro said “The debate on whether to complete the disarmament before the elections was ill-timed.”

5. L’intelligent d’Abidjan (an independent daily): Reporting on the voter registration exercise that is going on in the zones formerly under the control of the New Forces, the paper said that thousands of petitioners between the ages of 16 and 18 years are finding it difficult to get registered because they don’t have the required documents. Also reporting on the voter registration exercise in Bouake, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) alleged that the operation is being marred by fraud. The paper further questioned the decision by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) that, it said, ignored calls from the ruling party to suspend the voters’ enrolment in the former New Forces’ territory until security measures are put in place.

6. On environmental issues, Fraternite Matin said that President Laurent Gbagbo yesterday proposed a regional fund and a research center as a solution to global warming. The blueprint was presented yesterday during a meeting that brought together ambassadors from ECOWAS countries and representatives of international organizations in Abidjan.

7. Notre Voie: A report in this paper said that the US Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Wanda L. Nesbitt said the American Department of Treasury is to help Cote d’Ivoire train experts in fighting money laundering. Ambassador Nesbitt further said that “The challenge is serious because criminals are always in search of vulnerable countries.” According to the paper, Ambassador Nesbitt was speaking on December 15 during a regional conference that brought together experts from ECOWAS countries on the issue of money laundering. 
  
8. A front-page story in Fraternite Matin said that activities in many town halls across the country were crippled yesterday following the call of mayors for a three-day strike to press for government subsidies. The paper quoted the President of UVICOCI – the Union of Towns and Communes in Cote d’Ivoire – as saying that all the country’s town halls were closed down in response to the strike. According to the paper, a meeting is set to bring together the mayors, Ministers of Interior and Finance in a bid to find a solution to the problem today.

MEDIA REACTION TO U.S. – EMBASSY ABIDJAN – AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES
A report in Notre Voie said that in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, the US Embassy in Abidjan organized a conference to raise awareness on the issue. Le Nouveau Reveil, Fraternite Matin and L’intelligent d’Abidjan announced that the US Embassy will organize today a conference on media and elections for political reporters. The report said that the speaker, an American journalist will talk about the role of the media as a watchdog and access to information.

December 15, 2008

The Ivorian main prison in Abidjan also known as MACA was in the spotlight in the press today as inmates staged a riot over the weekend to protest security measures. The peace process in Cote d’Ivoire and the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Edmond Mulet’s recent visit to Cote d’Ivoire to evaluate the Ouagadougou Political Agreement were also subjects of prominent stories in today’s press. Reports also said that the collection of customs duties will be effective as from January 15, 2009. On economic issues, Fraternite Matin said that the government needs FCFA 27 billion (about 55 million dollars) to save the country’s cotton industry from collapse.

1. The revolt in the Ivorian main prison in Abidjan was a subject of front-page stories in many Ivorian daily newspapers today. A prominent story in L’inter (an independent Daily) said that the worst has been avoided in the prison when inmates went on the rampage. The report quoted officials saying that the prisoners staged the demonstration to protest recent security measures at the prison. Meanwhile, the paper quoted some inmates as saying that in the application of these security measures, some of the prisoners say they were victims of “discrimination” because “these measures were not applied to top officials from the cocoa and coffee industry, who are currently in custody at the prison.” According to the paper, as a result of the riot, 150 prisoners were transferred to the Police Academy in Abidjan.

2. In a separate story, L’inter also noted that within the three past weeks, Cote d’Ivoire’s main jails including Seguela, Man, Bouake and Abidjan have been plagued with protests.  The paper went on to remind readers that prison riots were the precursors to the September 19, 2002’s military uprising, which turned to a rebellion. [NOTE: Media reports on December 13 said that nearly 20 or more prisoners have escaped for the prison of Bouake, the main town of northern Cote d'Ivoire and stronghold of former New Forces rebels, after overpowering prison warders during lunch hour. The fugitives are being hunted down within Bouake, where some said that it was not an escape but an attack on the prison.]
 
3. A front-page report in Fraternite Matin (the state-owned daily) said that six prisoners were injured and more than 5,000 inmates attempted to escape from the Abidjan prison. The report added that the prison escape plan was thwarted by a heavy deployment of security forces around the jail over the weekend. The paper also said that the prison in Abidjan that was designed for 1,500 is now home to 5,375 prisoners. In a related development, the paper said that a journalist working with Alert Info (an online news organization) was arrested for reporting the death of three prisoners.

4. More reporting on the riot at the prison, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling party) quoted the Ivorian Justice Minister, Mamadou Kone, saying that security forces that cordoned off the prison during the uprising did not “shoot at the inmates”. The minister said that “six prisoners were injured by rubber bullets.”
 
5. On matters concerning the electoral process underway in Cote d’Ivoire, Le Nouveau Reveil reported that more than two million persons were registered in the district of Abidjan. According to the paper, the announcement was made by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). The paper also published a public statement issued by the Electoral Commission, announcing that the voter registration exercise that began on September 29 in Abidjan ended on December 14, 2008.

6. In a related development, Fraternite Matin said that millions of persons were not able to get registered because they did not have required documents that would enable them to do so. The paper quoted some petitioners who blamed this situation on what they called “administrative bottlenecks”. The paper also reported that five people were arrested in the central city of Sinfra for allegedly tampering with identity documents.

7. Another story in Fraternite Matin on the Ivorian peace process said that the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Edmond Mulet, who was in Cote d’Ivoire last week on a fact-finding mission, said he will present a report to the UN Secretary General for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI). The paper also said that Mulet went to Ouagadougou, where he met with President Blaise Compaore the facilitator in the Ivorian peace process to further discuss his findings. According to the paper, the recent developments on the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, particularly the voter registration program, were high on UN official’s discussion with President Compaore.

8. Another prominent story in Fraternite Matin said that the collection of customs duties will go into effect beginning January 15, 2009. According to the paper, Mr. Dosso Moussa National Secretary in charge of Economy and Finance for the New Forces – discussed the issue with local communities, businessmen and drivers operating in the zones formerly under the control of the New Forces, over weekend.  On other economic issues, the paper reported that the government needs FCFA 27 billion (about 55 million dollars) to bail out Compagnie Ivoirienne du Developpement des Textiles – a cotton industry that is on the verge of collapse.

December 12, 2008

The visit of the Senior United Nations peacekeeping aide Edmond Mulet in Cote d'Ivoire to evaluate the peace process in this country made headline in today’s Ivoirian press. Reports also said that two rival political youth leaders proposed to organize a seminar on civic education. The papers also reported on security issues and the decision of mayors to shut down town halls throughout the country to press for government subsidies were the other major reports in today’s newspapers.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): In a prominent story, this paper quoted visiting UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet as saying that Cote d’Ivoire’s peace process is moving forward. According to the paper, the UN envoy was speaking on December 11 after meeting with Ivorian key political stakeholders including President Laurent Gbagbo, Alassane Ouattara and Henri Konan Bedie, respectively leader of the opposition RDR party and former Ivorian President. After his meeting with Konan Bédié, the envoy said “The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon will present before the end of January 2009 a recommendation and a report to the UN Security Council that will come out with decisions on the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire. We are here to evaluate the situation, to have more details on how the voter registration exercise is being conducted and on the dates of the elections.”

2. Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party): A front-page report in this paper said that the ruling party has decided to send out about 400 of its cadres to supervise the ongoing electoral process. According to the report FPI’s delegates, who will be travelling throughout the country beginning from tomorrow, will have among other things to explain to the population the real challenges of the voter registration exercise; and they will  mobilize party’s supporters and any Ivorian eligible to vote in order to encourage them to get registered. The party’s delegates are also tasked to put in place mechanisms designed to control all stages of the electoral process so as to ensure the victory of the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, the paper said.

3. A banner headline in Fraternite Matin said that the leader of the Young Patriots (a movement close to President Gbagbo), Charles Ble Goude and Kouadio Konan Bertin President of JPDCI – the youth wing of the former ruling party – agreed to organize a democracy awareness seminar for their militants. According to the report, the decision was taken yesterday when Mr. Ble Goude called on Mr. Kouadio at the PDCI-RDA’s headquarters in Abidjan. Ble Goude’s visit, the paper said, was to express his support to “a friend and brother [Kouadio Konan Bertin],” who was recently assaulted in the central city of Guiberoua during a political rally. 

4. On security issues, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party carried an interview with the Ivorian government army commander General Philippe Mangou, who expressed “concerns” about the situation in western Cote d’Ivoire.

5. In a related development, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the PDCI-RDA) said that alien farmers in western Cote d’Ivoire are in danger, as leaflets, which are currently circulating in the regions, are calling for measures to be put in place to prevent farmers who were chased out during the war to go back to their farms. The report also said that the Sub-prefect in the region is trying to assuage the tension.

6. All the town halls across Cote d’Ivoire will be shut down on Monday, according to a story in Fraternite Matin. The paper said that the decision to stop activities at the town halls was taken yesterday in Abidjan after a meeting that brought together the 198 mayors of the country. The mayors, the report said, are demanding a FCFA 30 billion (about $60 million) subsidy to be provided by the government. According to the report, negotiation between the government and the mayors failed after the Director of Public Treasury presented one billion Francs CFA (about $2 million) to the mayors.

December 11, 2008

A report in the privately-owned newspaper L’inter said that the chairman of the ruling FPI party, who has been waging a campaign for disarmament before the coming elections in Cote d’Ivoire, met on December 10 with the US Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire. Reports also said that a UN Security Council panel is currently in Cote d’Ivoire to take stock of the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement. After recent attacks on an arms depot in the central city of Seguela, media reports again said that the region is prone to danger. A proposal from the International Monetary Fund to alleviate poverty in Cote d’Ivoire and the issue of gender-based violence were also reported on, in the today’s papers.

1. A report in L’inter (an independent daily) said that the chairman of the ruling FPI party, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, met yesterday with the US Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Wanda L. Nesbitt, on the disarmament. According to the paper, discussions between Mr. Affi and Ambassador Nesbitt focused on the disarmament of the former combatants in order to prepare the ground for “a total pacification and effective reunification of the Ivorian territory before the coming elections.” The report added that the meeting between Mr. Affi, who was leading a heavy delegation of his party, and Ambassador Nesbitt came after Tuesday’s organized mediation of President Laurent Gbagbo to resolve the problem. The report further said that President Gbagbo’s mediation has not changed the position of the ruling party, which is committed to ensure that security prevails during the electoral process.

2. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A prominent story in this paper said that urgent measures will be taken during the December 20 meeting of CPC – a committee overseeing the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement – to speed up the disarmament process. According to the paper, these measures will include among other things the opening of police stations in the western, central and northern regions formerly under the control of the New Forces. The plan, the paper further explained, will also include the reinforcement of security in order to guarantee a smooth voter registration exercise in these regions. The paper said that these measures would become effective before the fifth meeting of the CPC slated for January 2009. In a related development, the paper published a public statement issued by the ruling FPI party on what the party calls “alternative solutions” aimed at completing the disarmament, redeployment of the public services and the restoration of the state’s authority throughout the country as soon as possible.

3. Still on matters concerning calls from the ruling party demanding the disarmament before the coming elections, L’intelligent d’Abidjan (an independent daily) quoted the Representative of the facilitator, Boureima Badini, as saying that “these are legitimate preoccupations.” Mr. Boureima reportedly said that the debate on the disarmament comes at the right time because it will help boost the peace process. 

4. A prominent story in L’inter said that a couple of weeks after the attacks on an arms depot in the central city of Seguela, there is still security uncertainty in the region. The report also included an eyewitness account that renegades soldiers who defected their base, and moving around freely with their guns, constitute a real threat to population in the region. The paper said the New Forces’ representative in the region is calling for impartial troops to rescue the region. 

5. Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) said that a UN Security Council panel is currently in Cote d’Ivoire to take stock of the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement. According to the report, the UN delegation will meet Cote d’Ivoire’s political stakeholders in order to prepare the next meeting of the Security Council on Cote d’Ivoire scheduled for January 2009.

6. A front-page story in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said that the country representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Philippe Egoume called on Cote d’Ivoire’s authorities to ensure a better distribution of the country’s national revenues. According to the report, Mr. Egoume, who was speaking to newsmen on the Ivorian economy, said that “poverty has risen significantly between 2002 and 2008, and poverty rate has risen from 38 percent to 48 percent,” adding that “the populations in the rural areas are the most affected.” According to the report, the IMF country representative also denounced “poor management” of the public affairs. 

7. On the issue of gender-based violence, Fraternite Matin said that First Lady, Simone Gbagbo, demanded that a survey should be conducted to evaluate the impact of laws to fight the phenomenon. The report said that Mrs Gbagbo made the call on December 10 during a regional conference, where she appealed to decision makers to take actions in order to fight gender-based violence. On a similar issue, L’inter reported that about three persons are victims of gender-based violence every day in Cote d’Ivoire.

December 10, 2008

The Ivorian press today reported that the ruling FPI party and the New Forces have resolved their differences over the disarmament after separate meetings with President Laurent Gbagbo. A threat from the Ivorian mayors to shut down town halls throughout the country to press for government subsidies was also a subject of front-page stories. The dailies also announced strikes in other sectors including the ports, Post and Telecommunication, and health. The celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration; business partnership between the United States and Cote d’Ivoire; and gender-based violence were also top stories in today’s press.

Yesterday, some dailies reported on the 70,000 agreement, signed, December 5 by the US Ambassador Wanda L. Nesbitt, to support small community projects in Cote d’Ivoire.  The papers also reported on a roundtable discussion on civic education, which was organized by Cote d’Ivoire’s International Visitors Association (IVLP Alumni Group).

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): On matters regarding the differences between the ruling FPI party and the New Forces over the disarmament, a front-page headline in this paper said that the two sides yesterday “washed the dirty linen at the Presidential Palace.” The report said that leaders of the two opposing factions met separately with President Laurent Gbagbo, who was trying to resolve the recent crisis triggered by calls from the ruling party for a complete disarmament of the former rebels before elections in Cote d’Ivoire. Speaking after the meeting, the head of the ruling party’s delegation Pascal Affi N’Guessan said that “it was a family gathering” and we agree with the President of the Republic, who called the disagreement “a storm in a teacup.” Mr. Affi reportedly said that “there is not much disagreement between parties supporting the President and the New Forces.” Mr. Moussa Dosso head of the New Forces’ delegation was reported as saying: “I would like to inform the press and the whole Cote d’Ivoire that the incident is over.” According to the paper, President Gbagbo promised to meet the two parties again on December 20 to discuss a final resolution on this matter.

2. On the same subject, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former opposition PDCI-RDA) called the crisis between the ruling FPI and the New Forces “a comedy” adding that “the so-called reconciliation” between the two factions is “ridiculous.” The paper went on to suggest that as the question regarding the disarmament program was said to be one of the major issues to be addressed during the next meeting of the committee overseeing the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, the ruling FPI was just trying to take a timing advantage of the situation.

3. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition): A front-page story in this paper said that the mayors of the 198 districts in Cote d’Ivoire are threatening to stop activities at the town halls if the government fails to pay their subsidies. According to the paper, the mayors are demanding FCFA 30 billion (about $60 million) and they want this financial support to be provided within the next three days. The paper quoted the President of UVICOCI – Mayors Union in Cote d’Ivoire – Francois Amichia as saying that “We have no option but to stop activities because mayors have no resources to pay workers’ salaries and for other services.” Another report in this daily said that nurses from the public health services have called for a five-day renewable strike beginning today to press for allowances and other bonuses. The paper also reported that workers at Cote d’Ivoire Post and Telecommunication have launched a strike to demand the departure of the manager of the company on the grounds that a plan aimed at reviving the sector has failed.

4. In a related development, a story in Fraternite Matin said that workers at the ports in Cote d’Ivoire are threatening to go on strike. The report said that in a bid to ensure that the strike does not disrupt activities at the ports, the management of the Abidjan Port has put in place some measures. These measures, the report said, will enable companies in the port to continue their businesses.

5. In a critical analysis of the social situation in Cote d’Ivoire, L’inter (an independent daily) warned about what it called “the risk of a huge social unrest”. According to the paper, poverty is increasingly gaining ground in the country as a result of the six-year crisis. The paper quoted figures of the National Institute of Statistics as saying that the poverty rate in the cocoa-rich country has shifted from 38.4 percent in 2002 to 48.94 percent. The impact of the impoverishment is more obvious in the western, central and northern regions, which were formerly under the New Forces’ control, the report said.

6. As the world celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration, a report in the state-run Fraternite Matin said that experts yesterday deplored “irregularities” in Cote d’Ivoire. According to the report, the Human Rights activists, who were meeting in Abidjan, called the attention of the Justice Minister to the over-population of the Abidjan main prison, and to the bad conditions of inmates in both the government and New Forces-controlled territories.

7. On the same issue, Le Matin d’Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) reported that delegates from Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Republic Democratic of Congo, Mauritania, Ghana and Chad are meeting in Abidjan from today to harmonize their action plans on how to fight gender-based violence. 
           
MEDIA REACTION TO U.S.; EMBASSY ABIDJAN AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES

1. On December 9, Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) carried the full text of a statement issued by the US Embassy in Abidjan announcing that Ambassador Nesbitt signed twelve individual activity agreements worth a total of seventy thousand U.S. dollars ($70,000) to support community development activities throughout Cote d’Ivoire. Nord-Sud Quotidien; Radio Cote d’Ivoire; RTI-TV (both state-run broadcasting corporation) and Radio Nationale Catholique (a local Roman Catholic radio station) also reported on this signing ceremony, which occurred on December 5 at the US Embassy.
          
2. In its weekend edition, the state-owned Fraternite Matin reported on Cote d’Ivoire’s International Visitors Association (IVLP Alumni Group), which exhorted the Cote d’Ivoire’s youth to emulate “the American dream”. According to the paper, the call was made on December 3, when members of this association gathered at the US Embassy in Abidjan to discuss American social values, which they observed during their respective visits to the US.

3. A report in L’inter said that an important delegation of American businessmen have arrived in Abidjan to explore business opportunities.

Article

December 9, 2008

Reports in today’s press said that President Laurent Gbagbo is to start mediation today between the ruling FPI party and the New Forces to resolve their difference over the disarmament of the former combatants. Newspapers also said that religious leaders are calling upon Cote d’Ivoire’s political stakeholders to give peace a chance. A privately-owned daily also reported on the state of security in the former buffer zone. A 70,000 agreement signed December 5 by the US Ambassador in Cote d’Ivoire, Wanda L. Nesbitt, to support small community projects in Cote d’Ivoire and a roundtable discussion on civic education organized by Cote d’Ivoire’s International Visitors Association (IVLP Alumni Group) were also major news in today’s dailies.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A report in this paper said that President Gbagbo and his Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, have decided to put aside their political interests in an attempt to settle the conflict opposing the ruling FPI and New Forces – the former rebel group – over the thorny issue of disarmament. President Gbagbo is to meet separately today in Abidjan the two sides, as “the Ouagadougou Political Agreement is hitting against the issue of disarmament of the former rebels,” the paper further reported. It also noted that the Prime Minister on December 5 released a public statement appealing for “calm” and that the same day President Gbagbo announced his plan to meet with the two sides in a bid to diffuse the tension.   

2. As the FPI and New Forces are set to meet President Gbagbo today, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI) carried a prominent story in which it reminded the Ivorian Prime Minister commitments that he made regarding the disarmament of the former combatants. The paper reported that talking about his objectives barely two weeks after his nomination as the head of a new cabinet; Mr. Soro said: “the first principal mission of this government is to resolve the thorny issue regarding the identification program and the second objective is the reunification of the country.” The paper further quoted the Ivorian Prime Minister as saying on that occasion that “the reunification of the country could only happen through the reunification of the two armies… In application of a clear-cut timetable designed by the two sides, arms will be collected. Through the disarmament, we will show to the whole world our common will to resolve the crisis.”

3. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition): In a prominent story, the paper tried to unveil what it called “the untold stories about the war of words” between the ruling FPI party and the New Forces over the disarmament program. For many observers, the paper commented, “the hardliners of the ruling FPI party continue to believe that the Ouagadougou Political Agreement was a mistake made by the Ivorian President… because for them the cozy relationship between New Forces leader-turned Prime Minister and the Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore (who brokered the agreement) has no objective than to prepare the downfall of President Gbagbo.”     

4. Fraternite Matin: A prominent report in this paper said that during a prayer session marking Aid-el Kebir, the Moslem community called for peace. According to the paper, Ivorian Moslems used the occasion to denounce what they termed “devils of war and hatred” that were trying to come back in Cote d’Ivoire. As leaders of the opposition RHDP coalition and disciples of the late President Felix Houphouet Boigny gathered in Yamoussoukro to celebrate the anniversary of the death of Cote d’Ivoire’s first President, a Roman Catholic Cleric told the gathering that “We owe peace to our country.”

5. On matters concerning security in the former New Forces-controlled territory, L’inter (an independent daily) prominently reported that about 80 New Forces’ ex-fighters are currently seeking refuge in the former buffer zone. The report said that the soldiers, who were originally based in the central city of Seguela, said they fled the area to escape witch-hunting. [Recent media reports said that on November 23, 2008 former rebels close to Kone Zackaria – a former warlord – attacked Seguela. The reports also said that ten assailants and one New Forces’ soldier were killed when unidentified gunmen tried to take control of the arms depot of the New Forces Armed Forces in the central city of Seguela.]

MEDIA REACTION TO U.S.; EMBASSY ABIDJAN AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES

1. Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) carried the full text of a statement issued by the US Embassy in Abidjan announcing that Ambassador Nesbitt on December 5 signed twelve individual activity agreements worth a total of seventy thousand U.S. dollars ($70,000) to support community development activities throughout Cote d’Ivoire. A report in Nord-Sud Quotidien on the same issue said that in order to support local communities in Cote d’Ivoire the United States provided financial support to 12 projects. Over the weekend, Radio Cote d’Ivoire; RTI-TV (both state-run broadcasting corporation) and the Radio Nationale Catholique (a local Roman Catholic radio station also) reported on the signing ceremony that was held on December 5 at the US Embassy.

2. In its weekend edition, the state-owned Fraternite Matin said that Cote d’Ivoire’s International Visitors Association (IVLP Alumni Group) exhorted the youths to emulate “the American dream”. According to the paper, the call was made on December 3 when members of this association gathered at the US Embassy in Abidjan to discuss American social values.            

December 5, 2008

Today’s Ivorian press critically looked at recent calls from the ruling Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) for the completion of the identification program before the coming general elections. Dailies also said that bank governors from Francophone Africa are meeting in Abidjan to evaluate the impact of the global economic recession on African economies. Reports on President Laurent Gbagbo’s recent visit to Doha, Qatar; the cost of the redeployment of public administration in the former rebel-held territories; and a roundtable discussion on civic education organized by Cote d’Ivoire’s International Visitors Association (IVLP Alumni Group) were also major subjects in the Ivorian dailies.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): The disagreement between the ruling FPI party and the New Forces over the disarmament of former rebels was again a subject of a front-page story in this paper. It quoted Chairman of Cote d’Ivoire’s ruling party Pascal Affi N’Guessan as calling for “the suspension” of the voter registration program in the former rebel-held territories (central, northern and western Cote d’Ivoire) on the grounds that “there is an environment that is favorable to fraud and corruption.” According to the paper, Mr. N’Guessan was speaking yesterday after a meeting with the Independent Electoral Commission, the body charged with the organization of the coming general elections in Cote d’Ivoire. In response to the ruling party’s concerns, the electoral commissioner reportedly said: “All these preoccupations will be examined in order to find appropriate solutions.”

2. In a separate story, Fraternite Matin wondered how the electoral commission would resolve the current political stalemate. In an effort to propose a solution to the current crisis, the paper published the code of ethics signed by Cote d’Ivoire’s key political players. It also noted that by signing this document the parties are bound to create a political environment conducive to cohesion and national concord. To conclude, the paper recalled the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s call for the respect of this code and hoped that “the UN Secretary General did not preach in a desert.” 

3. Another prominent story in Fraternite Matin said that the next meeting of the committee overseeing the Ouagadougou Political Agreement will settle the issue over the identification and disarmament process. The paper said this was announced yesterday by the Burkinabe Foreign Affairs Minister Alain Bedouma Yoda after meeting with Ivorian political stakeholders including President Laurent Gbagbo.

4. Soir Info (an independent daily): In a front-page story, the paper reported that the Ivorian opposition figure Alassane Dramane Ouattara, who was reacting following a disagreement between Cote d’Ivoire’s ruling party and the New Forces over disarmament, said “I’m surprise by this debate.” In a related comment, the paper suggested that President Gbagbo and his Prime Minister Guillaume Soro are what it called “the natural leaders of the ruling party and the New Forces,” and therefore, “they have the responsibility to resolve the difference.”

5. Still on reaction over FPI’s demand for the disarmament before the elections, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) carried a banner headline saying that Mr. Ouattara rejected the demand. “The Ouagadougou Political Agreement has not made provision for disarmament before the elections,” the paper further quoted the Ivorian opposition figure as saying. The paper also quoted a leading member of the PDCI-RDA, the former Ivorian ruling party, as saying that the FPI’s demand is “intolerable.”

6. On the same issue, Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) announced that the Patriots [a movement close to President Gbagbo] are to stage a demonstration today at the Primature [the office of the Prime Minister] to demand the disarmament of the former rebels. The paper quoted one of the Patriots’ leaders as saying: “We will go to the Primature to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister because he is incapable of implementing the Ouagadougou Political Agreement that recommends the disarmament of the rebels.”

7. Regarding the voter registration exercise, Le Matin d’Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) said that almost 2 million people have been identified and registered. According to the paper, this was announced by the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI). The report also said that UNOCI will continue its efforts to pave the way for the long-delayed polls.

8. On economic issues, a report in Fraternite Matin said that governors from the Francophone African Group at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are meeting in Abidjan to evaluate the impact of the global economic recession on the African economy. In a related development, the paper quoted the governor of the West African States Central Bank (BCEAO), Henri Dacoury-Tabley, as saying that “no bank in West Africa (the CFA Franc zone) is in danger,” as a result of the international financial crisis.

9. On another issue, Fraternite Matin reported that the Ivorian government will need about $86 million to finance the redeployment of public services throughout the country. The paper published an interview with the head of the program saying that the program, which is part of the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire, includes among other things the rehabilitation of infrastructures that were destroyed during the war in Cote d’Ivoire.

MEDIA REACTION TO U.S.; EMBASSY ABIDJAN AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES

10. A report in Notre Voie said that Cote d’Ivoire’s  International Visitors Association (AIVI)[note this is the IVLP alumni group] called for civic education among Ivorians to foster development. Members of this association made the appeal on December 3 when they gathered at the US Embassy in Abidjan for a half-day discussion on their role in promoting civic culture in Cote d’Ivoire. 
 
11. Finally, Fraternite Matin said that President Gbagbo urged the management of Al-Jazeera to open a bureau in Cote d’Ivoire. The report said that the Ivorian leader said this during a visit to the international TV network in Doha, Qatar.           

December 4, 2008

News in the Ivorian press is dominated by the political tension between the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) - the party of President Laurent Gbagbo, and the New Forces – the former rebel group in Cote d’Ivoire. A meeting Wednesday between the Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and African diplomats on the Ivorian peace process; the recent visit of President Gbagbo to Qatar where he took part in the World Economic Development Summit; clashes during a congress organized students in Abidjan and Ivorian businessmen’s visit to Pennsylvania to identify business opportunities were the other major stories in the Ivorian papers.

1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front-page story in this paper said that the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire is endangered. The paper quoted the spokesperson of the New Forces Sidiki Konate, who accused the Chairman of the ruling FPI party of “plotting a coup against Soro,” the Ivorian Prime Minister. In a reaction to the allegation, Chairman of the ruling FPI party Pascal Affi N’Guessan reportedly said: “I don’t believe in the culture of political violence.” The report also said that the New Forces (FN) requested that President Gbagbo sack the ruling party’s ministers in protest against party leader Pascal Affi N’Guessan’s attitude towards the New Forces’ leader. The Chairman of the ruling FPI party reacted by saying: “The current administration is not a government just for the rebellion.” 

2. According to Fraternite Matin, the war of words between the ruling party and the former rebel group was triggered by the FPI’s call for the disarmament of the former rebels before elections in Cote d’Ivoire. Earlier yesterday, the paper reported on the ruling party’s concerns over “the restoration of the state’s authority over the entire country.” The Chairman of the FPI, who was speaking after a meeting with the UN Secretary General’s Representative in Cote d’Ivoire, reportedly said: “The disarmament [of the former combatants] should be completed before the elections,” adding: “This question is not negotiable,” because it is one of “the pre-conditions for equitable and indisputable elections.” 

3. Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI) welcomed the demand for the disarmament of the former rebels before the coming elections. The paper further described reactions from the New Forces as “a refusal” to lay down their guns. The paper also informed readers that the ruling party is set to have “a crucial meeting” Dec. 4 with the electoral commission over the issue.

4. In a related development, the Ivorian Prime Minister, who met Wednesday in Abidjan with African diplomats on the Ivorian peace process, was quoted by Fraternite Matin as saying: “The implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement is a challenge for Africa.” The meeting, the paper said, was part of ongoing consultations between the Prime Minister and foreign diplomats to evaluate the social and political situation in Cote d’Ivoire. “I want to ask you to help Cote d’Ivoire and Ivorians to fully implement the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, because just like for Cote d’Ivoire, this objective is a challenge for the whole of Africa. It’s a test for Africans to show that we are able to resolve our own problems,” Mr. Soro was quoted as telling the diplomats.

5. Still on the Ivorian peace process, a report in Fraternite Matin said that the leader of the Ivorian Workers Party (PIT), Francis Wodie, is seeking the support of the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) to help organize an all-inclusive national consultation to find solution to the political impasse in Cote d’Ivoire. The report further said that Mr. Wodie supported the ruling FPI party’s position that disarmament should be one of the prerequisites for the organization of elections.

6. A report in Soir Info (an independent daily) said that in addition to the nearly $800,000 it already contributed to the UNDP electoral fund, the German government will provide additional financial and logistic support to the electoral process. The logistic support, the paper quoted the German Ambassador in Cote d’Ivoire, Keller Stephan, as saying, will include transport of electoral materials. The diplomat, who was speaking after a meeting with the electoral commissioner, reportedly said the transport of electoral materials will cover 22,000 polling stations. A similar report in Fraternite Matin said that Japan will provide 22,000 ballot boxes. The announcement was made yesterday by the Japanese Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Okamura Yoshifumi, during a reception marking Japan’s national day celebration.  

7. A prominent story in Fraternite Matin quoted President Gbagbo as calling for more investments in Cote d’Ivoire in order to accelerate the country’s development. The President was speaking yesterday in Abidjan upon return from Doha, Qatar where he took part in the World Economic Development Summit. President Gbagbo, who was welcomed by Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, said that in Qatar “people were developing a tertiary economy… and this should be a lesson for Third World Countries on how to invest resources to ensure an economic revival.”

8. A story in Wednesday’s Notre Voie said that the congress of the Union of the Movements of Cote d’Ivoire Students (UMESCI) ended prematurely in Abidjan, as armed men assaulted delegates. According to the report,   “unidentified people carrying machetes, clubs and stones assaulted participants forcing them to end the assembly. Twenty-seven people were wounded, the report said. The report also said that a former leader of the union was accused of fomenting the attack.

9. In its Wednesday’s edition, L’inter (an independent daily) reported that 15 Ivorian businessmen are expected in Pennsylvania from January 25-31, 2009 as part of a program to identify business opportunities. Dubbed the 1st International Forum of Economic Operators for Capacity Building, Development and Partnership, the forum will help the businessmen look for funding for their projects.

December 2, 2008

Pre-electoral violence in central Cote d’Ivoire was one of the major stories in today’s Ivorian dailies. The peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire; rumors of activities of former Liberian rebels in western Cote d’Ivoire and other related security issues; the celebration of World AIDS Day; the living conditions of inmates in the Abidjan prison and a recent visit of the US Ambassador Wanda L. Nesbitt to a royal museum in the eastern city of Abengourou were the other major news items.

1. Soir Info (an independent daily newspaper): A front-page story in this paper said that scores of people were injured in the city of Guiberoua (central Cote d’Ivoire) following an assault on members of JPDCI – the youth wing of the PDCI (the former ruling party) by pro-government supporters. According to the paper, the clashes happened when members of JPDCI went to the city to organize a political rally. Reacting to the event, the leader of the Pan-African Congress of the Young Patriots (a movement close to President Gbagbo), Charles Ble Goude reportedly said: “I cannot go around in Cote d’Ivoire promoting peace, while in my own region in Guiberoua some Ivorians attack other Ivorians for no reason.” “Those who were doing this were not helping Gbagbo,” Goude reportedly said.

2. Reporting on the same issue, a front-page story in Le Matin d’Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) said that Ble Goude went far to render an apology to PDCI-RDA – the party of the Ivorian former President Henri Konan Bedie. Le Jour Plus (a daily close to the opposition) the leader of JPDCI, Kouadio Konan Bertin, telling what the paper called the story on “the nightmare” he and his supporters went through in Guiberoua. According to the paper, the youth leader, who did not mince his words, condemned “the lack of tolerance for dissent on the part of supporters of President Gbagbo.” Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the PDCI-RDA party) carried a banner headline where the leader of the JPDCI described as “barbaric and tribal” the assault he and his supporters, who were victims of the attacks on Sunday.

3. Regarding national security issues, a front-page story in L’inter (an independent daily) said that the commanders of government forces and the New Forces Armed Forces, Gen Philippe Mangou and Gen Soumaila Bakayoko, respectively, have decided to work together to forestall any threat on the peace process. According to the paper, the two army commanders have been meeting separately with their troops in order to assuage tension after elements of the Integrated Command Center – a joint security squad – recently went on the rampage over pay delays. 

4. Another front-page story in L’inter said that the ruling FPI party has stepped up pressure in a bid to speed up the disarmament of the former rebels in Cote d’Ivoire. The paper said that the party of President Gbagbo has made the disarmament of the former combatants one of its priorities; and a delegation of the party is expected to meet today the UN Secretary General’s Representative in Cote d’Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, to discuss the issue. The paper quoted a public statement issued by the party saying that “the lingering question of the disarmament and the restoration of the state’s authority on the entire national territory will be high on the agenda of this meeting.”  

5. Still on security issues, in a prominent story, Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) described the western region of Cote d’Ivoire as “an arms depot for the ex-Liberian rebels.” The paper published an eyewitness report and quoted a former Liberian warlord as vowing that “we’ll deal with those who recruited us.”

7. Le Nouveau Reveil hinted that President Gbagbo may change members of Cote d’Ivoire’s national intelligence unit. The paper also hinted the security apparatus at the Presidential Palace could also undergo some kind of shake-up, as the former Defense Minister Lida Kouassi is likely to take charge of the intelligence services in replacement of Mr. Bertin Kadet.

8. A front-page story in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said that there are growing security concerns in Abidjan, as the economic capital of Cote d’Ivoire has become “a den of bandits.” According to the report, armed robberies take place everywhere in the city including houses, on the streets, in taxi cabs, churches, restaurants and filling stations… etc. In a reaction to the report, the commander of CECOS – a security unit based in Abidjan – reportedly complained about the slow reaction of the victims when it comes to inform security forces.

9. As Cote d’Ivoire celebrated the World AIDS Day yesterday, Fraternite Matin, in a front-page story, called for “a collective engagement for a systematic HIV testing.” The report further said that the US Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire Wanda L. Nesbitt, who took part in the event, highlighted efforts being deployed by the government of the United States to help combat the disease in Cote d’Ivoire through PEPFAR. The paper also added that the PEPFAR’s budget for Cote d’Ivoire has shot up from about $46 million in 2004 to about $232 million in 2008. 

10. A report in Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI) said that nearly 2,000 people are languishing in jail in the Abidjan main prison for the past ten years, as they wait for their trial. According to the report, most of the inmates are living in appalling conditions. “At least two prisoners die every month,” said the report, adding “28 percent of the more than 5,000 prisoners incarcerated in the Abidjan prison are HIV-positive.” 

MEDIA REACTION TO U.S.; EMBASSY ABIDJAN AND OTHER WORLD ISSUES

1. L’inter and L’intelligent d’Abidjan carried reports on a recent visit of the US Ambassador Nesbitt to a royal museum in the eastern city of Abengourou. According to the report in Linter, Ambassador Nesbitt, who was visiting the city for the second time, was welcome by His Majesty Nanan Boa Kouassi III. L’intelligent d’Abidjan quoted a member of the royal family saying that this visit was “a sign of consideration, respect and friendship.” 

2. A statement published on the Relief Web site said that the Italian government through the Directorate General for Cooperation and Development has contributed with a financial amount of 300.000 Euros to UNHCR, to support the activities of the High Commissioner in Cote d’Ivoire. The statement also said that the project is aimed to protect the safe return of 700,000 displaced people in central Cote d’Ivoire; and to foster a process of reintegration.