United States Embassy (Abidjan)
24 June 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.
In today's papers, reports on the arrests of top officials in Cote d'Ivoire's Cocoa and coffee industry continue. The papers also reported that the peace process is blocked and there was shooting in the rebels' zone during the night of June 22 to June 23.
1. Soir Info (an independent daily) carried a headline which said: "Moralization of public life, new arrests; turmoil within the ruling FPI party; young patriots threaten to paralyze the court." According to the paper, the decision of President Gbagbo to track down people who embezzled cocoa and coffee industry funds as well funds from other sectors like Cote d'Ivoire's two ports, the Telecommunication Agency, the National Administration School, the National Television, as well as Gbagbo's own office, has created a general turmoil within Gbagbo's party. The young patriots who are unhappy about what is happening to their sponsors have decided to march on the court and free people who have been arrested.
The paper also reported that the FBI has started an investigation regarding the purchase of a chocolate plant in Fulton, USA. That investigation is to find out if the purchase was used as a way for the cocoa and coffee industry to launder money.
2. Le Jour Plus (a daily close to the opposition) reported that the implementation of the peace process is blocked as the international community drags its feet to provide financial assistance. According to the paper, the financial aid promised by the international community in July 2007 has not come. During a meeting convened by Mr. Youssouf Bakayoko, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on June 21 to review the status of the funding of the peace process, he asked the international community to confirm its contributions. The paper said that some diplomats think this is a blackmail of the international community because the Ouagadougou Agreement is an inter-Ivoirian agreement and it is up to the Ivorian government to take the first step by making the biggest contribution.
3. "Operation 'Clean Hands' in the cocoa and coffee industry, the ruling FPI party decides to brave judges" is the front page story of Nord-Sud Qutotidien (a daily close to the opposition). According to the paper, some top officials of the cocoa and coffee guarantee fund (FGCC) who were supposed to meet yesterday the examining magistrate did not show up at the court. For the paper, by defying the judge's authority, these people wanted to give a concrete demonstration of the opposition announced by the leadership of President Gbagbo's party to the clean hands operation.
4. Le Nouveau Réveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI) carried a headline which said: "Operation clean hands in the cocoa and coffee industry, here is the real plan of Gbagbo". According to the paper, this operation is just to dazzle the population. For the paper, everybody is aware of the embezzlement of billions of CFA by Gbagbo's men, the killing of French-Canadian Guy Andre Kieffer by the death squad, the toxic waste scandal with those responsibles remaining unpunished and many other human rights violations. The paper said if President Gbagbo has launched this clean hands operation, it is not to condemn his men but to crush the opposition, for instance the PDCI. According to the paper, if this legal action goes to its conclusion, it will be a legal means to protect Gbagbo's men because if the court pronounces any sentence, even symbolic, nobody could judge these people again. The paper asked the opposition to be vigilant because if this action is not exclusively intended for PDCI members, it is a way to guarantee the impunity of FPI "gangsters".
5. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): the front page story says: "shooting, looting in Bouake, Man and Seguela, Bakayoko to his men: Never again." According to the paper, the chief of staff of the ex-rebels, General Bakayoko, promised his men three month's allowance in order to avoid in the future the bad behavior they had last week. He expressed his discontent and condemned the behavior of his men.
6. Le Matin d'Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI) reported that two years after the dumping of toxic waste in Abidjan, workers in the port area are still dying. People working in different firms in the port area are suffering from various illnesses but the government does nothing to clean up the area.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 United States Embassy. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
