Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abidjan (Agenzia Fides) – 91 soldiers were fired from the Ivory Coast Army for mutiny. This is what a statement from the Ivory Coast’s leadership said, informing that another 13 soldiers have deserted and “are actively being searched for.” On September 27, a group of soldiers took to the streets of the political capital Yamoussoukro, and the city of Daoukro, in the country’s southern region, organizing road blocks and firing into the air, in demand for payments from the war. In Daoukro, 5 civilians were wounded by explosions.
The Ivory Coast is experiencing a delicate phase in its history, as previously postponed presidential elections are now scheduled to take place in November, that could lead to the end of the political crisis that began in 2002 and that has split the country in two: the south in the hands of a government that is recognized as the official, and the northwest in the hands of rebels from the New Forces. In March 2007, with the signing of the Ouagadougou Accord, mediated by Burkina Faso, President Gbabo and the leaders of the New Forces formed a basis for reunification of the country and the beginning of national reconciliation.
One of the most urgent problems to be faced is the disarming and movement of militia members from the various areas and their insertion into civil society or the regular armed forces. In addition to the New Forces, especially in the west, there are various armed groups awaiting the mobilization and run the risk of creating serious security problems for the area, where there is a large concentration of cacao plantations, the country’s traditional livelihood.
The security forces themselves, however, are not far from tensions. The hard-handed action of the State towards those responsible for the mutiny in late September, which has provoked serious material damages, has precedent in the decision made by the Minister of Internal Affairs to impose a 10-month suspension period without pay to 322 police offices, for unjustified strike.
For several days now, the delicate process of registration of voters has begun and the country is in need of tranquility, as Guillaume Soro pointed out. Soro was one of the leaders of the New Forces who has now become the Prime Minister after the Ouagadougou Accord. He has also encouraged the revolutionaries to remain calm, “so the country can come out of its crisis.” It is a call that has been echoed in the statement of the State, which affirms that “it is the moment of peace, of preparation for elections, and the reconstruction of the country. With that in mind, the Government encourages all militia to renounce the use of arms, with the goal of sparing our country another setback in its progress and a worsening of the economic difficulties it is having to face.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 2/10/2008)
