Ivorian authorities and their Liberian counterparts are to launch "a huge operation" in a bid to crack down on militias who launched attacks in the western Cote d'Ivoire, reports Fraternite Matin (p. 1).
The report also says that the clearing exercise will be backed by UN peacekeeping forces stationed in Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia. According to the paper (p. 5), security experts from both countries met yesterday in Abidjan to hammer out plans for this joint military operation. "The government will take the necessary measures to put an end to the continuous attacks in the west," reports the paper (p. 4) which published a statement issued yesterday after a cabinet meeting presided over by President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan.
A report in Nord-Sud Quotidien (p. 2) says that the Ivorian Foreign Minister, Daniel Kablan Duncan, who presided over the meeting, called on the Liberian authorities to help restore security in the troubled western region. The paper quotes Duncan as saying the meeting was also an opportunity to discuss "obstacles" that are hindering the "extradition of ex-combatants in accordance with international law."
"The task force in the west on the offing," says a headline in Le Nouveau Reveil (p. 4) which informs readers that the military operation to be launched soon in western Cote d'Ivoire will help strike war criminals and other mercenaries loyal to the former regime. The paper also quotes the Ivorian Security Minister, Hamed Bakayoko, who disclosed that "the joint military operation will include Ivorian and Liberian armed forces as well as UN peacekeeping forces stationed in Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia with the backing of countries such as France and the United States."
Reporting on the security situation in Cote d'Ivoire, Le Nouveau Courrier carries a front-page banner headline reading, "Ouattara establishes the rule of terror." The paper also denounces what it sees as "the drift of a panicking regime," and goes on to allege that government forces ( FRCI) have "abused" the population living in the western region of the country. The article (p. 3) says that the population is caught between rival forces are fighting in this region.
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The opinions expressed in these reviews in no way reflect the views of the United States Government and are presented for informational purposes only. The accuracy of reports contained in this summary has not been confirmed by the Embassy.
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