United States Embassy (Abidjan)
30 January 2008
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
The upcoming three-day congress to be organized by the Rally for the Republicans - RDR, the opposition party led by Alassane Dramane Ouattara, the peace process, the scandal of the toxic wastes dumped in Abidjan in August 2006 and President Gbagbo's visit to Gabon were the major items in today's Ivorian press.
1. "1994-2008, March towards Power, founding members of the RDR party who abandoned the party have sunk into oblivion" is the headline in Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition party - the Rally for the Republicans - RDR). The paper reports that the when RDR faced its first difficulties, some its prominent founding members left the party. Today, their political careers are falling in the grave and it is grief and regret for them as the party is marching toward power.
The paper also reported a short visit of President Gbagbo to the Gabonese President, Omar Bongo, on Tuesday in Libreville. After two years on bad terms starting when President Gbagbo asserted in a French newspaper that Bongo was a joker, relations between the two Presidents have been normalized now.
2. "Basile Mahan Gahé, Centrale Dignité Union Secretary General, accuses: Gbagbo's friends will lose him support", is the front page story in 24 Heures (a daily close to the opposition). The paper reported that the toxic waste dumped in Abidjan in August 2006 continues to kill people. Unions of workers who are victims of the toxic waste are not ready to give up. According to the paper, several workers in the port area are dying of the toxic waste. Some of those workers undertook a march on Monday in order to have the government of Cote d'Ivoire listen attentively to their problems. To their surprise, it was policemen who met them with real guns, tear gas and gendarmes with dogs to attack them. During a press conference to denounce the attitude of the security forces, Mahan Gahé, the Secretary General of the Central Dignité Union wondered: "Are we really in the country of Laurent Gbagbo? We will not accept that the workers be treated like animals".
3. In Le Jour (a daily close to the opposition) a similar story on the toxic waste says that policemen shot protesters with real rifle bullets when workers were marching to protest against against the toxic waste's effects. One of the labor union member said when he saw his fellow members said when he saw his fellow members covered in blood, he was told by a policeman that they have asked to deal ruthlessly with workers.
4. The paper also reported an interview of Cherif Ousmane, a New Forces war lord. In that interview, Cherif Ousmane accused the Minister of Defense of doing nothing to solve the difficulties they are facing to regroup their soldiers. For him, the facilities are too small for the number of soldiers. The Minister of Defense, being the minister of all the soldiers, New Forces and Loyalists combined, should talk about these difficulties in order to find a way for a quick regrouping.
5. Soir Info (a privately-owned daily) headlines: "Probable delay of the presidential elections, the New Forces agree." The paper reported that further to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner's statement last week in Ouagadougou saying that there is no problem if the presidential election in Cote d'Ivoire is postponed by one or two months, the director of communication of the New Forces told AFP, a French radio, that the reaction of Bernard Kouchner is for them a sign of realism. He also said: "At the beginning of the talks in Ouagadougou, we recommended a bit of realism. But some people then thought that the call for more time was because some politicians wanted to stay in power."
The paper also reported on the visit of Gbagbo to Gabon to meet President Bongo whom he had not seen since 2005. According to the paper, the contentiousness between the two presidents was based on Gbagbo's reproach that Bongo was supporting the French government's position in the conflict and the RDR leader Alassane Ouattara.
6. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): The paper reported that Gbagbo's travel to Gabon marks the normalization of relations between Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon. After two years of bad terms due to President Bongo's position at the beginning of the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, the two presidents have made peace now and have decided to promote diversification in bilateral cooperation.
7. "Petrol production in Cote d'Ivoire, the U.S. prove that Gbagbo lies; here are the real figures of the United States Department of Energy" is the front page story in Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI). According to the paper, Ivorian authorities declare that 49,000 barils of petrol are produced daily. But according to the figures given by the U.S. Department of Energy, Cote d'Ivoire produces between 90,000 and 110,000 barils a day. That brings 300 billion CFA to the country. The same report was confirmed by UEMOA, the West Africa countries monetary Union in its 2006 report. The paper questions: "where does the money from the surplus of production go?
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