United States Embassy (Abidjan)
12 December 2007
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
1. In today's Ivorian press, focus was on the identification program. The papers also reported on other issues: the Human Rights situation in Cote d'Ivoire, on the 59th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the return of foreign investors to Cote d'Ivoire; the case of the missing Franco-Canadian journalist; and the International Union of Francophone Media (UPF).
2. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily) reported that thirty new teams will be deployed on the ground, effective today, for the audiences foraines (a program designed to provide national identity documents to citizens of Cote d'Ivoire. According to the daily, this announcement was made yesterday by the Ivorian Justice Minister, Kone Mamadou during a press conference in Abidjan. The paper quoted the justice minister as saying," The audiences foraines program is still going on with the 25 teams that have been deployed on the ground, and no major incident has been recorded so far. I'm even happy to inform you that new teams will be deployed in coming days,"
3. Regarding specific statistics, Fraternite Matin quoted Kone Mamadou as saying, "As from December seven substitute birth certificates have been issued to 80,000 out of 84,806 applicants." The paper further said that in a bid to guarantee the success of the audiences foraines, Kone Mamadou exhorted all the country's political groups, religious leaders and civic groups to get involved fully in the ongoing awareness campaign aimed at informing the populations on the program.
4. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) devoted its front page to what it terms "the so-called frauds" that have marred the audiences foraines. According to the paper, the Ivorian justice minister used yesterday's meeting with the press to reject reports alleging that the exercise, which was launched on September 25, has been scarred since the beginning by "fraud, violence, and technical problems." "Nobody has been arrested for fraud. No magistrate abandoned his post," the justice minister was quoted as saying.
5. As Cote d'Ivoire joined the world to celebrate the 59th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Fraternite Matin reported that Ivorian authorities urged the population to join in the campaign aimed at promoting Human Rights in the country. According to the paper, the highlight of the commemoration of the event, in Korhogo in northern Cote d'Ivoire, was the release of a statement in which the signatories solemnly pledge to act in a way to improve the Human Rights situation in Cote d'Ivoire.
6. In a related development, Le Temps (a daily close to Gbagbo) carried a headline, alleging that "an Ivorian NGO is accused of child trafficking." According to the paper, the organization attempted to seek adoption for a three-year child without the knowledge of the parents.
7. In L'inter (a privately owned daily), the case of Guy-Andre Kieffer - the Franco-Canadian journalist, who vanished in Cote d'Ivoire in April 2004, was the subject of a front-page story. According to the paper, Patrick Ramael, the French judge, who is investigating this case, was at the Ivorian martial court yesterday to seek permission from the military prosecutor to interrogate the military officers suspected in this case.
8. Fraternite Matin reported in a headline story that foreign investors are making a come-back to Cote d'Ivoire. The paper noted that for the first time in many years, many investors are visiting the country for business prospecting, as peace is returning to the country.
9. In a commentary about the recently concluded colloquium of the International Union of Francophone Media (UPF), which took place in Cote d'Ivoire, Fraternite Matin said that the colloquium presented an opportunity for the country to come back on the international scene.
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