Cote d'Ivoire: Abidjan Holds Its Breath

6 October 2000
allAfrica.com
By By a special correspondent

Abidjan — Residents of Cote d’Ivoire on Friday were nervously awaiting the announcement, expected by Saturday night, of the list of candidates eligible to contest the presidential election on October 22.

A four-day state of emergency and a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew went into effect. Some shops closed early and people stocked up on essential items in case they are confined to their homes because of unrest.

A leading opposition figure, Alassane Ouattara, is expected to be excluded from the list of candidates on the basis of government claims that he is not genuinely Ivorian. He says he is and there are fears that his supporters will react violently if is excluded.

If violence does break out, it is likely that the military will react with force, especially under the increased powers provided under the state of emergency. This, however, could trigger further unrest because the military is both ethnically and politically divided.

Military ruler General Robert Guei has not shied away from using nationalism to whip up support for his regime. But at least 40 percent of Cote d’Ivoire’s 15 million residents are from neighboring West African countries. Guei warned immigrants in a speech on state-run television on Thursday night against involving themselves in national politics.

"Politics has ruined this country," said one young man from Burkina Faso. He said some of his family had already left Cote d’Ivoire and that his embassy had advised its nationals to make sure they had enough fuel stored in case they needed to make a quick departure for the border.

Fueling the tension has been an economic crisis, in part brought on by a world drop in cocoa prices. Cote d’Ivoire is the world’s leading producer of cocoa beans and many of the cocoa farms employ immigrants. Immigrants fear becoming an easy scapegoat for political, ethnic and religious tension here.

"If there’s a civil war here, we don’t know when it will end," said the young man from Burkina Faso.

The ramifications of social unrest in Cote d’Ivoire have not been lost on regional leaders. Seven African heads of state, backed by the Organization for African Unity (OAU), met with Guei last month to express their concern.

Cote d’Ivoire borders five countries, two of which are already mired in low-scale conflict: Guinea and Liberia. Guei rejected their proposals to delay elections and set up an all-inclusive transitional government.

To drive home Washington’s concern, a senior State Department official met with Guei on Friday. Nancy Powell, the chief deputy to US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Susan Rice, reiterated the US call for free and fair elections. Powell was also to meet with opposition figures.

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