"Has Banny confessed his failure to reconcile Ivorians?" asks a prominent headline in the weekend issue of Le Patriote (p. 1) with a picture of the Chairman of the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Charles Konan Banny. An article (p. 2) in this paper denounces what the paper sees as "a bad game" that Mr. Banny is playing.

Ivorians continue to wonder "when will Banny begin their reconciliation," comments the paper, which notes that more than a year after its launch, the process has not progressed except for "some meetings that the chairman has been holding here and there." The article also accuses Mr. Banny of supporting "impunity" to the detriment of "justice." "One cannot understand that while the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission is working to restore confidence among the population it looks as if there is a bulldozer that is pulling it back," the paper quotes Mr. Banny's spokesperson as saying about the judicial procedures underway regarding crimes allegedly committed during the 2011 post-electoral violence.

Another prominent headline in L'Inter (p. 1) raises an alarm saying "Reconciliation is going to hit the wall." According to the paper (p. 5), Mr. Banny's problem is how "to reconcile justice and pardon" in his efforts to reconcile Ivorians. Regarding the recent arrests of supporters of the former regime, the paper quotes the spokesperson of the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as saying, "How do you want me to succeed in convincing these people to join the process while they are being subject to arrest." Another article in this paper (p. 4) cites the "difficult dialogue" between the opposition FPI party and the current government as the other stumbling block to reconciliation in Cote d'Ivoire. In a bid to give a new impetus to the reconciliation process, the leader of the opposition Lider party, Mamadou Koulibaly, has made "some recommendations," reports L'Inter (p. 6).

In a related development, Notre Voie quotes a leader of the PDCI-RDA party calling for "Gbagbo to be brought back home," in order save the reconciliation process. "Gbagbo played a key role in what happened in Cote d'Ivoire. For the sake of reconciliation, there is a need to listen to him, to see him and to bring him back for him to encourage the reconciliation process," the paper quotes Amoakon E. Thiemele, a cadre of Henri Konan Bedie's party as saying.

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.