Abidjan (Fides Service) - The crisis in Ivory Coast is perhaps nearing its conclusion. On 11 March in Yamoussoukro, the administrative capital, a meeting was held to decide on the composition of the new government. The meeting, presided by designated Prime Minister Seydou Diarra, was attended by rebel leaders who, as stipulated in an agreement reached last month in Paris, will be part of the government. As it is known a major point of argument is who will head key ministries Internal and Defence. As Fides Service reported on March 7, the rebels made some concessions on this point, Premier Diarra is optimistic. A missionary in Bouake, north Ivory Coast told Fides Service that "Diarra said the government will be ready for Thursday 13 March". Bouake is in the part of the country under control of the main rebel group Patriotic Movement for Ivory Coast. The missionary continues: "We all hope so, but frustration with earlier agreements not respected calls for prudence. Here in Bouake this situation is calm, even though access roads to Bouake from Yamoussoukro were closed for 4 days because the rebels feared infiltration of government troops from that direction. We have also heard that rebels destroyed the telephone centre for the northern part of the city and so now to communicate with missionaries working in that area we have to use cell telephones.
"Security conditions are not the best. Homes abandoned by people fleeing southwards have been looted. It is terrible to see the fruit of years of sacrifice destroyed in a moment. The economy survives with bartering. Markets have plenty of food to sell but no one has the money to buy so they exchange things for food. The few remaining state employees have not been paid since September: they joke and talk of technical unemployment and make do, as they can.
Hatred and rancour grows as war reveals all its horror. Common graves are discovered everyday, there are reports of mutilation of civilians in the west. "No one is innocent in this war", says the missionary, adding that "the United Nations have sent a mission to find those responsible for the massacres but it will be some time before the perpetrators are caught and punished. Our main concern now is to work for reconciliation among the people. While the Bishops continue to denounce foreign interference and violence, they also stress the need to promote national reconciliation. As a priest I feel that at this present time my main duty is to educate to forgiveness and reconciliation. I no longer want to hear people say <I now where my attacker lives and I know what I must do>. There is a danger that people will act eye for eye, or even three eyes for one eye". LM (Fides Service 11/3/2003 EM lines 36 Words: 487)