United States Embassy (Abidjan)
27 August 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.
Today's newspapers in Cote d'Ivoire raised concerns about the presidential elections of November 30, the identification process, and the ex-rebels' protest. Other stories focused on the death of a New Forces leader, "Wattao", and a rumor involving 30 billion CFA allegedly in the possession of General Mangou, the Ivorian Military Commander-in-Chief.
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily): A front page story displayed: "The presidential elections of November 30. This is not possible, technically and legally."
The daily quoted the president of the Ivorian Labor Party (PIT), Francis Wodie, who declared last Saturday: "There will be no (presidential) elections on November 30," just like the President of the Movement of the Future Forces (MFA) party, Anaky Kobena. He attributed his declaration to the organizational difficulties and the technical failures of the identification process. Mr. Wodie said that, according to the law, the electoral lists should be posted for verification three months before the election date, that is to say on September 1st, but this is no longer possible. The article reported that the Prime Minister's cabinet deputy director said that the identification process could not be operational because only 1,500 kits were received instead of 6,000 kits as promised by SAGEM. Moreover, the 6,000 employees who were supposed to operate the machines to issue the documents were not yet recruited. The article concluded that it is obvious that the elections could not be held as scheduled on November 30.
2. Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI): The daily headlined an article as follows: "The UN calls on a quick start for the identification process." The story reported that UN Mission leaders in West Africa saluted the significant progress made in implementing the Ouagadougou Political Agreement (OPA). They appealed for the immediate start of the identification process in view of the presidential elections scheduled for November 30. They encouraged a quick start of the identification and enrollment process. During a press conference, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Yj Choi, considered that he could "see the light at the end of the tunnel" as far as the electoral process is concerned. He cited advances on funding for the process, the quartering of the ex-combatants, and the delivery of the first set of identification equipment.
3. Le Jour Plus (a daily close to the opposition): The Paper published a story about the social reinsertion issue of the former New Forces combatants. The dismantled ex-combatants should be reinserted according to a deadline as stated by the Ougadougou Political Agreement. According to the daily, the delay in the crisis settlement and the exile of the ex-combatant leader Kone Zacharia from Seguela to Burkina Faso caused the ex-combatants from his zone to be more and more hopeless. Therefore, some of them had started fleeing from their regrouping sites to join Abidjan to start a new life, reported the article.
4. Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) reported in a front page story: "The ghost of Wattao returned to Abidjan yesterday". The story depicted the return of the leader of the New Forces from the United States via Burkina Faso. Rumors about the death of Wattao had spread throughout Cote d'Ivoire. The daily quoted him as saying: "I would like to thank those who announced my death. I will live 60 years more," he ironically declared.
5. Still on this story, Le Matin d'Abidjan (a daily close to the ruling FPI) reported that in addition to the demonstrations of the dismantled ex-combatants in Bouake, the death of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the New Forces was announced. It added that General Wattao returned to Abidjan yesterday afternoon from the United States after a one week stay. According to the newspaper he said: "I asked permission for one week's leave. And as a member of the military, I had to come back." He announced he would travel to Bouake in the next two days.
6. Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party): The daily posted in a front-page story: "Mangou was cited in a scandal of 30 billion." The story reported that there are rumors that General Mangou was arrested at the Abidjan International Airport while he was trying to leave the country holding a large amount of money. This money was supposed to be the bonus for soldiers who struggled at the front during the war. General Mangou denied this accusation saying: "I was not arrested, I did not run away with any soldier's bonus, sometimes estimated at 11 billion, now 30 billion, and then 100 billion," he ironically added.
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