Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abidjan (Fides Service)- A fragile cease fire reigns in Abidjan, economic capital of Ivory Coast, since mixed patrols of Ivorian, French and UN soldiers were deployed on the streets to restore order after sacking and violence over the past few days. “The situation is still tense however. Abidjan is a ghost city. The fighting has stopped but the people are staying at home. Offices, shops and banks are still closed” local sources told Fides. “Food stocks are dwindling because supplies come from the country and the roads to rural areas and the rest of the country are still not safe. However the deployment of mixed patrols has brought some relief to the frightened people. Most Europeans are sheltering at French military barracks. And who knows for how long, seeing the food and hygiene situation could deteriorate” the sources told Fides.
At the political level South African President Thabo Mbeki, charged by the African Union to find a solution to the Ivorian crisis, has arrived in ivory Coast. “The United Nations and the African Union must make more effort to solve the impasse” the sources told Fides. “The arrival of Mbeki is the first step in this direction but the African Union needs strong backing from the international community”.
“The tragedy is that both President Gbagbo’s Party and the Opposition seem to have abandoned all democratic logic and peaceful confrontation to impose themselves on their political adversaries with force. The conflict has assumed an ethnic dimension. New recruits in the army and police are almost exclusively members of the President’s ethnic group. Viceversa New Forces rebel troops are almost all from northern ethnic groups hostile to those in the south” the sources told Fides.
Ivory Coast is in a tangle: “The peace pact reached in January 2003 which attempted to impose an agreement on the parties was reasoned in “European terms”. What is needed are mediators who understand the African mentality and language and sincerely take into account the country’s problems. Let’s hope the mediation of South Africa’s President will be successful” the sources told Fides. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 9/11/2004 righe 35 parole 428)
