September 28, 20071. Two Ivoirian leaders are in the spotlight in today’s press. The first one is President Laurent Gbagbo, who returned back home yesterday from New York, where he attended the United Nations General Assembly. The second one is the Ivoirian opposition figure, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, who addressed a mammoth rally yesterday in Abidjan, in the run-up of the forthcoming election in Cote d’Ivoire. 2. With a picture of Ouattara, who was addressing "a mammoth rally" in Abidjan yesterday, Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition, carries a banner headline reading, "ADO [Alassane Dramane Ouattara] defies Gbagbo." 3. According to the paper, "The president of the opposition RDR party cried for victims," denouncing what he called, "The violence and barbaric acts committed against supporters of the RDR party." He is also quoted as telling Gbagbo: "You can’t win the elections." To finish the report, the paper devotes two pages to publish colorful pictures of the political gathering. 4. "The president joins his people," writes Le Patriote, a daily close to RDR party. On Ouattara’s ambition to become the next president in Cote d’Ivoire, the paper quotes him as saying, "Nothing! Nothing can stop me." The paper also comments, "The huge turnout" at yesterday’s rally shows that "Ouattara’s popularity did not diminish." 5. "In 2008, I’ll be elected President of the Republic," the state-owned daily, Fraternite Matin, quotes the Ivoirian opposition leader as telling supporters. The paper, which devotes two pages to the event, says, "It was a feverish rally, which went on peacefully." 6. According to the paper, Ouattara used this meeting to encourage his supporters to take part "massively" in the public identity hearings underway in the country. Ouattara, reports the paper, also told the gathering that, "The public identity hearings will be followed by the identification program and the registration of voters." 7. While Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA, calls Ouattara’s rally "an impressive mobilization," Le Matin d’Abidjan, a daily close to Gbagbo, tells a different story. It accuses the Ivoirian opposition figure of "waging an ethnic and religious war." 8. "ADO looses control over the north and insults everybody," writes Le Temps, another daily close to Gbagbo. According to the paper, Ouattara’s declaration yesterday during the rally was full of "contradiction." It also believes that, yesterday’s meeting marked "the end of an alliance between the RDR and the PDCI-RDA, the party of Ivoirian ex-president Henri Konan Bedie." 9. In the front-page story, L’intelligent d’Abidjan, a privately-owned daily, quotes a leading political figure who criticizes Ouattara. Mamadou Ben Soumahoro is quoted as saying, "Not only Ouattara betrays himself, but he also betrays everybody." 10. "Gbagbo is back," reads a front-page story in Le Temps. According to the paper, the Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo returned home yesterday after attending the United Nations General Assembly. Gbagbo, speaking to reporters, is quoted as saying, "Our peace plan has become a lesson." 11. According to Fraternite Matin, Gbagbo was welcome yesterday by the Ivoirian Prime Minister, Soro Guillaume. Regarding the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire, the paper quotes Gbagbo as saying, "It was important to tell the United Nations General Assembly about the sufferings that Cote d’Ivoire is going through but and also the hopes that we cherish." 12. Regarding the upcoming elections, 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, quotes the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), Robert Beugre Mambe, as saying "We’re committed to organize clean elections." The electoral commissioner, who was speaking yesterday, however admitted that, "The task ahead won’t be easy," reports the paper. 13. Meanwhile, 24 Heures reports that, "Prime Minister Soro Guillaume has instructed the Justice and Human Rights Minister to speed up the deployment of the teams tasked to conduct the public identity hearings." The objective, the paper quotes the spokesperson of the premier, is "to provide all the necessary means to the 25 first teams to become fully operational."
September 27, 20071. Today marks the 13th anniversary of the creation of the Rally of the Republicans -- RDR, the party of the Ivoirian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara. The celebration is a front-page story in today’s Ivoirian papers. The speech of the Ivoirian leader Laurent Gbagbo at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he urged the world body to ease an arms embargo against his country and to lift sanctions against three political figures is the other major issue in today’s Ivoirian newspapers. 2. A front-page story in Fraternite Matin, a state-owned daily, says Gbagbo, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, pleaded for "international aid to support the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire." Gbagbo, reports the paper, also urged the United Nations General Assembly "to ease an arms embargo against his country and to lift sanctions against three political figures." The paper also publishes the full text of Gbagbo’s speech. 3. Speaking also at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Cameroon President Paul Biya told Gbagbo: "Africa is proud of you," reports Fraternite Matin. With a picture of Gbagbo and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy on its front-page, the paper suggests that "the two leaders have opened a new chapter in the relations between Cote d’Ivoire and France." 4. A prominent story on the privately-owned daily L’inter says, "Gbagbo put four requests on the table of the United Nations." These include, "The lift of the arms embargo to allow the country to fulfill its mission to protect people and goods." Gbagbo also demanded the United Nations "to reduce its security troops in the country as peace was prevailing in the country since the signing of the Ouagadougou peace agreement, adding that the phase 3 no longer corresponds to the reality on the ground," reports the paper. 5. According to a front-page story in Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition, "The heads of State stayed away from the meeting, when Gbagbo was addressing yesterday the United General Assembly, and this, for the first time." 6. A front-page story in Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, says, "After defying and insulting the international community, Gbagbo knelt down before the United Nations General Assembly." 7. Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party, says, "Gbagbo exhorted the United Nations to support efforts that are being deployed on the ground to resolve the Ivoirian crisis." According to the paper, "The Ivoirian leader is expected in Abidjan today". 8. A front-page story in Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, says, "The Ivoirian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, is to remember his ‘martyrs’ today." According to the paper, the opposition leader is scheduled to address a rally today in Abobo – a suburb of Abidjan. 9. Explaining the motive behind this commemoration, Le Patriote, a daily close to the RDR party tells readers that, "During the past 13 years of struggle for democracy in Cote d’Ivoire, 3,500 supporters of the party of Ouattara died, while thousand disappeared." 10. "Thirteen years ago, Ouattara plunged the country into chaos," writes Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo. The paper alleges that, the opposition leader was "he brain behind "the December 1999 coup d’etat and the September 19 attack in Cote d’Ivoire." 11. In the perspective of the upcoming elections in Cote d’Ivoire, "The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) is training its local officers," reports 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition. 12. "The two-day workshop, which kicked off yesterday, focuses on the structure of the electoral commission and the role of the local officers to guaranteeing free and fair elections." The paper quotes Robert Beugre Mambe, the Chairman of the CEI, as telling participants, "You need to be competent and humble while on the ground."
September 26, 20071. The Ivoirian leader, Laurent Gbagbo, is in the limelight, as reports say he is set to address the UN General Assembly in New York today. At home, the audiences foraines (public identity hearings designed to issue birth certificates to residents without identity documents), which kicked off yesterday, spark mixed reactions in the Ivoirian dailies. 2. A banner headline carried by the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin, says "Gbagbo, who is attending the 62nd UN General Assembly, is set to address the world today." The paper indicates that Gbagbo’s speech has virtually become "a much-awaited event," as the Ivoirian leader is enjoying now "a honeymoon," while Cote d’Ivoire has recovered "its full sovereignty, and has become one and an indivisible state." 3. According to the paper, "Gbagbo will use this opportunity to make some proposals – including the reinforcement of the UN’s institutions on environmental issues." Gbagbo may also call for "a real trade liberation," reports the paper. Finally, the Ivoirian leader could also speak about the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire. 4. While, President Bush, who was addressing yesterday the UN General Assembly, vowed "to protect Human Rights all over the world," reports Fraternite Matin, his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy called for "more justice and freedom in the world." 5. On his part, the African Union Chairman, Alpha Omar Konare, reports Fraternite Matin, insisted "for the suppression of the military bases in Africa," because "the continent has the capacity to resolve its own crisis," the paper quotes South African President Thabo Mbeki as saying. 6. A day after the resumption of the public identity hearings program, Fraternite Matin expresses "optimism." 7. Meanwhile, a banner headline in Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition, says, "The ‘sans-papiers’ of Gbagbo and Soro have been identified." The political cartoonist of the paper shows a picture of Soro driving an armored car with a caption reading, "Soro’s machinery is on the moving." 8. As the public identity hearings began "symbolically" yesterday in Ouaragahio and Ferkessedougou, respectively the villages of Gbagbo and Soro, Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, says, "Gbagbo and Soro serves their parents first." 9. A front-page story in Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party, says, "Leaders of the FPI party met with the Army Chief of Staff yesterday to express their concern over the security issue during the public identity hearings program." 10. The paper quotes the Chairman of the party, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, saying, "We want to ensure that all measures have been taken to guarantee security of the civilians and government officials, who have been deployed throughout the country as part of the exercise." 11. A front-page story in Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition, says, the mayors, who were meeting yesterday in Abidjan, threatened "to boycott the public identity hearings." 12. The spokesperson of the mayors is quoted by Le Jour Plus as saying, "We want to draw the attention of the government… on the fact that the marginalization of mayors could hamper the public identity hearings program, because we play a key role in births’ registration." 13. Regarding the financing of the peace process underway in Cote d’Ivoire, Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, suggests that "the World Bank is blackmailing." Citing insiders, the paper alleges that, "The bank’s officials in Cote d’Ivoire are demanding that people, who are in-charge of the National Program for Reinsertion and Community Rehabilitation, should be replaced."
September 25, 20071. News reports say supporters of Ibrahim Coulibaly -- a former Sergeant in the Ivoirian National Army, former Forces Nouvelles military officer, and arch-rival of Prime Minister Soro Guillaume – have been arrested. Laurent Gbagbo’s visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly’s meeting, and the first political rally organized by former Ivoirian leader Henri Konan Bedie last weekend, are also subject of front-page stories in the press. Meanwhile, the relaunch of the audiences foraines (public hearings to issue birth certificates to residents without identity documents), which are officially scheduled to begin today in Cote d’Ivoire, is the major event in today’s dailies. 2. A banner headline in Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, announces that, "The public identity hearings are set to begin this morning." According to the paper, the announcement was made yesterday by the Justice and Human Rights Minister, Mamadou Kone, after a meeting between the Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro and members of a working group overseeing the program. 3. The paper quotes the minister as saying, "We’ve adopted a consensual and final modus operandi on how the program should be organized." According to Le Front, "The public identity hearings will start today in Ouaragahio – the village of the head of State Laurent Gbagbo – and in Ferkessedougou – the village of Soro." The Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Robert Beugre Mambe, is reported as saying, "The commission is not involved in the public identity hearings." 4. "The public identity hearings begin," writes Fraternite Matin, a state-owned daily. According to the paper, "Gbagbo assured the UN Secretary General that the program will be successfully conducted." Gbagbo, reports the paper, met with Ban Ki-Moon in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly meetings. 5. In a related development, Fraternite Matin quotes Boureima Badini Special Representative of the President Blaise Compaore in Cote d’Ivoire as saying, "The public identity hearings will begin tomorrow (today). Then the identification program will follow. The elections could be held before October 2008 provided that all these programs are conducted successfully." 6. As the public identity hearings begin today, Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party, tells readers "what measures have been put in place to counter any fraud." The paper notes that, "The public identity hearings are an important step in the peace process, and therefore should not be subject to any manipulation." 7. Notre Voie warns that, "Whoever tries to make a false statement in a bid to acquire identity papers will be punished according to the law." The paper also reminds Ivoirians that, "Each Ivoirian should bear in mind that the credibility of the general elections is the backbone of the peace process and can be only guaranteed through the transparency of the public identity hearings." 8. While preparations are underway for the upcoming presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire, Le Nouveau Reveil predicts "an outright victory for the Ivoirian former President Henri Konan Bedie." The paper close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, suggests that, "Ivoirians have rekindled hope, in the wake of the rally of Bedie last weekend in Dabou." 9. Meanwhile, Le Temps tells a different story. The daily close to Gbagbo accuses the former Ivoirian leader of "tribalism." According to the paper, "Bedie has incited the Baoule ethnic group to revolt." 10. In another development, 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, alleges that "ten supporters of Ibrahim Coulibaly were arrested in Danane in western Cote d’Ivoire and in Bobo Dioulasso in Burkina Faso." The paper publishes a statement issued in Abidjan by the cabinet of Ibrahim Coulibaly. 11. Finally, a banner headline in Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition, says that, "Many vehicles have been destroyed in Plateau – Abidjan’s commercial center --, as disabled people went on rampage." The protest, reports the paper, was to draw Ivoirian authorities’ attention on what the disabled called "discrimination they have suffered from," reports the paper.
September 24, 20071. Today’s Ivoirian press is dominated by Ivoirian leader Laurent Gbagbo’s visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly’s meeting, and a report issued by the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) on the Human Rights situation in Cote d’Ivoire. Meanwhile, the Ivoirian former head of State, Henri Konan Bedie, is in the limelight today after his first rally organized over the weekend ahead of the upcoming presidential elections in this West African country. 2. "Extraordinary mobilization," says a banner headline that runs across Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling party PDCI-RDA. According to the paper, "More than 30,000 Ivoirians attended the rally held in Dabou -- about 50 km from Abidjan – last Saturday by former president Henri Konan Bedie." 3. The paper quotes Bedie as saying, "Those who have proclaimed the death of PDCI-RDA are dreaming." Bedie is also reported as saying, "Under the FPI’s regime, the economy of the country has been completely decayed, and the party [FPI] has no project." 4. "Bedie criticizes Gbagbo and FPI," writes 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition. According to the paper, the former Ivoirian leader suggested that, "The country needed shock therapy to restore the rule of law which had been eroded by years of crisis." 5. Bedie, speaking in Dabou, called on Ivoirians "to vote out the ruling FPI party," reports Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition. 6. With a picture of Bedie on its front-page, Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, says "Bedie has launched his campaign in Dabou," in the perspective of the upcoming elections in Cote d’Ivoire. In a commentary, the paper says, "Bedie wants to bring down the ruling FPI party." According to the paper, Bedie is committed "to restoring the rule of law, security, and development of the national economy." 7. In a front-page story, Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling PFI party, accuses the former Ivoirian president of "insulting Ivoirians." Regarding the coming elections, the paper wonders, "How Bedie, who had never accepted foreign observers during elections when he was in power, now demand the UN and the international community to supervise the coming polls in Cote d’Ivoire." "Today, Bedie has become a champion of democracy and of freedom of the press," notes the paper, which concludes, "If this is true, then all Ivoirians should pray that he [Bedie] remains in the opposition for ever." 8. In a related development, the paper announces that the public hearings are scheduled to begin "tomorrow in Ferkessedougou – northern-east Cote d’Ivoire -- and in Ouaragahio – central-western Cote d’Ivoire." The paper publishes a statement issued by the government calling on the population to fully take part in the exercise in order to ensure its success. 9. According to L’inter, a privately-owned newspaper, "Court clerks, who threatened to boycott the identification process, have now agreed to get involved in the program." The paper reports that, "The Ivoirian government has assured the court clerks to examine their grievances in order to find a solution." 10. Still on the identification process, Gbagbo told Ivoirians living in the United States that, "Some people think the public hearings are set to create confusion… We are living in a state of law, where there are rules. So, don’t be wary, I gave instructions to the prefects, the deputy prefects, and the magistrates," reports L’inter. 11. Le Courrier d’Abidjan, a daily close to the Ivoirian leader, said: "Gbagbo tried to restore confidence among Ivoirians living in the United States." Gbagbo, speaking on the margins of his meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York, promised "to ensure security throughout the country." He also called on Ivoirians to come back and to invest in their country. 12. Before his address at the 62nd UN General Assembly, "Gbagbo is to hold talks with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon," reports the state-owned daily, Fraternite Matin. According to the paper, "Gbagbo met with Rosa Whitaker and her lobby group yesterday," and he is scheduled to hold "talks with the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer today." 13. Finally, in its weekend edition, Fraternite Matin says, "The U.N. Operation in Cote d’Ivoire has issued a report accusing the country’s former rebel and government forces of committing human-rights violations." It says these include such acts as "arbitrary arrests and imprisonments by rebels in the north and the use of torture and summary executions by President Laurent Gbagbo’s army in the south," reports the paper.
September 21, 2007Cote d’Ivoire upcoming presidential election and the sharing of 100 billions CFA of the cocoa factory in the United States are the major topics in Ivorian newspapers today.
1. “Cocoa factory in the US: Farmers’ money has been embezzled. The sharing of the 100 billion CFA: a salary of 150 million CFA and a castle worth 250 million CFA for one of Gbagbo’s advisors” says a headline in Le Nouveau Réveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI party. According to the paper, the investment in the cocoa factory of Lion Management group in Fulton that was supposed to be a good bargain has become a personal business for some Ivorians who are in charge of managing the factory. They have all bought houses, cars and even opened their own business with the money generated by the factory. The director general of Lion Capital Management Group is taking action against these people.
2. “Cocoa factory in Fulton, USA, an American shareholder refers the matter to the World Bank” writes Le Patriote, a daily close to the opposition RDR. The paper reports that the Director General of Lion Capital Management Group has informed the World Bank’s President of the fictitious contracts signed during the deal with the Ivorian Cocoa Regulation and Control of Funds and his firm. He has revealed that four years after the signing, no chocolate bar has come out from that factory. And today’s financial difficulties resulted in the cutting of electricity and water in the factory. All the money from Cote d’Ivoire is transferred to a firm located in Georgia but no trace of those funds is visible.
The paper also reports that all the strikes taking place these days are suspicious. The Ouagadougou Accord calendar has been delayed and they don’t understand why any time the peace process seems to go well, there is always an incident that blocks it.
3. “100 billions CFA embezzled and laundered by Ivorian Cocoa Regulation Funds, the case referred to the World Bank” is the headline in 24 Heures, a daily close to the RDR. According to the paper, the American associate of the Ivorian Cocoa Regulation and Control of Funds has referred the case to the World Bank for a money laundering. In a letter that Lion Capital Management Group addressed to the World Bank, the firm asks the Director General of the World Bank to reclaim the funds.
The paper also reports that the public hearings in the western region of Cote d’Ivoire are threatened. Approximately 3,000 angry militias threaten to be on the warpath again if they don’t receive money promised to them when they disposed of their arms.
4. Nord-Sud Quotidien carries a front-page item entitled “Chocolate factory in the USA: the Americans claim their money from Gbagbo”. The paper says that the American partner of the Ivorian Cocoa Regulation and Control of Funds in the purchasing of the chocolate factory in Fulton is angry. He has written to the World Bank President in order to force Ivorian authorities to reimburse their part in the factory capital. The partner has also denounced the thefts and money launderings committed by Gbagbo’s trustees.
The paper says that as far as the elections are concerned, the Operation of the UN in Cote d’Ivoire (ONUCI) has created a center of observation to make sure that all the electoral process will be fair and transparent. In that vain, the men of Abou Moussa, the commander of ONUCI, will follow all the hearings that will start on September 25.
5. “Restart of the public hearings on September 25, ONUCI deploys its teams” is the headline in Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces. The paper reports that the UN announced yesterday that it had deployed 68 teams on the field according to the administrative map of the country to monitor the public hearings. But as far as the number of people concerned in the hearings, it is the responsibility of the Ivorian Government to provided information on the number of applicants.
6. “Easing of tension between Security Defense Forces: after Lt-Colonel Yao-Yao Jules, Lt-Col Oulata Gaoudi returned home yesterday, everything on the negotiations for his return” is the front page story by L’Inter, an independent daily. The former Defense Attaché of the Cote d’Ivoire Embassy in Washington who was in disension with Gbagbo regime and exiled in the US has returned home. This return is for the consolidation of the national reconciliation, restoration and social cohesion and confidence between Ivorians planned in the Ouagadougou Accord.
The paper also reports that for the non-payment of money promised to the militias in the western part of Cote d’Ivoire, the militants are threatening adverse actions again. According to the militias, they have not been paid since they disarmed; if payment does not start by next Monday, they will react.
7. “After the wave of departures, Alassane Ouattara recruits big men: Joel N’Guessan of FMA (Forces de Mouvement de l’Avenir) and a minister of PDCI, the former ruling party, are coming. Impressive means announced for the presidentials” is the headline in Le Jour, a daily close to the RDR. According to the paper, Alassane who wants to win the upcoming elections is having several meetings to recruit important personalities after the departure of some influential members of his cabinet.
In another story, Ahmidou El Becaye Seck, the chief of the electoral division of the UN in Cote d’Ivoire says that the UN has no mission to secure the public hearings; they will support Ivorian authorities in the conduct of the operations.
8. “The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) plans elections for October 2008, the hidden agenda of a suspicious proposal” says Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI. For Notre Voie, French President Sarkozy will be president of the European force in the second semester of 2008 and the boss of that force is a French general who was in Cote d’Ivoire at the beginning of the crisis. He is the person who plans military interventions in the world. The plan of the opposition coalition (RHDP) is the same as what happened in Congo. For the specialists, Sarkozy will continue the fight of Chirac against Cote d’Ivoire.
Regarding the salaries of doctors who were on strike for the past weeks, the government has decided that they will not receive their salaries for the month of September.
9. “62nd UN General Assembly, How Gbagbo prepares New York, big flash on his speech,” is the front page story of Le Matin d’Abidjan, a daily close to Gbagbo. According to the paper, several observers think that this is a first opportunity for Gbagbo to enlighten the international community on the reality of the Ivorian crisis and explain his political approach, which is perceived negatively outside of Cote d’Ivoire.
10. On another topic, Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo, writes that the general prosecutor must take action against those who have written a charter for “Akan”, an ethnic group in the central, southern and eastern regions of Cote d’Ivoire. According to the paper, a document called “Charte des Akan”, which has “germs” of social conflict is available since yesterday. The document launches an appeal to Akan who are in the army, in the administration, in business to stand up for their rehabilitation and justice and to take power.
September 20, 2007President Gbagbo’s upcoming visit to New York and his meeting with French President and the threat on the peace process are the major topics in Ivorian newspapers today.
1. With a picture of the French leader on its front page, L’inter, an independent daily, says that for the normalization of relations with Abidjan, Sarkozy poses his conditions. According to the paper, sources close to the French President say that Gbagbo must pass some kind of exam by the organization of fair and credible elections before he can be welcomed in Paris.
2. Soir Info carries a front-page item entitled “Meeting Gbagbo-Sarkozy, the Elysée poses its conditions.” According to the paper, Nicolas Sarkozy would not be favorable to a meeting with Gbagbo for the time being. Sources close to the French President say that no meeting has been scheduled for neither in Paris nor in New York. But according to observers, a meeting on neutral ground would be the best way to begin the warming up of Franco-Ivorian relationships.
In other reporting, there was tension, yesterday between French soldiers and youth in Abengourou, an eastern town of Cote d’Ivoire. Citizens complained that French soldiers and tanks created panic, according to Soir Info. They complained that the soldiers “disembarked” in their city without informing them and do not know what they are doing there. According to the youngsters, the soldiers were asking about gold wells in that area. Despite the intervention of the King Nanan Boa Kouassi III, the population gave 48 hours to French soldiers to leave their region.
3. “Gbagbo in a hurry to meet Sarkozy, France poses its conditions” says a headline in 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition RDR. Using the story from the French newspaper, Liberation, 24 Heures says that Gbagbo hopes that he will be able to see Sarkozy soon. According to the paper, Gbagbo says, Sarkozy is the only French President born after the World War, so everything must be redone with France as regard to military accords and bilateral exchanges. The paper also reports on an interview with Pierre Schori, the former boss of the UN office in Cote d’Ivoire. He said that important cases like elections, identification process, and disarmament have not moved forward. For him, former friends Gbagbo and Soro who became enemies have become again friends. So, why are they waiting? Elections were promised for 2005, 2006 and then 2007, but now they are talking about having elections in 2008. The timing is not favorable for Ivorians. It is only good for those who have power and who are well paid and live well.
4. Le Courrier d’Abidjan, a daily close to Gbagbo, reports that “The Head of State leaves Abidjan Saturday for New York.” According to the paper, Gbagbo is going at long last to the UN headquarters. The paper mentioned that the expectations of the Ivorian leader are to express his expectations vis-à-vis the international community. The paper said that after a year following his refusal to go to New York in protest against the offhanded manner the international community treated his country’s problems, Gbagbo will take part at the UN’s 62nd General Assembly, where he will present the situation of his country following the Ouagadougou Agreement.
5. In Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo, the main headline was “Presidential elections in October 2008, Gbagbo denounces Mambé’s game” The paper also reported on the proclamation by the president of the Independent Election Commission that elections could take place in October 2008 at the earliest if only public hearings start on September 25 and end in December 2007 as scheduled.
6. According to Le Patriote, a daily close the opposition RDR party, “Laurent Gbagbo admits that Alassane Ouattara is brilliant and hard worker. He is the designated next president” According to the paper, in an interview in Jeune Afrique, when he was asked what he thinks of his challengers, Gbagbo is quoted as saying that Alassane Ouattara is brilliant and hard worker and that Bedié is cunning and knows who must be around him.
The paper also says that the next UN Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire could be an Asian. The South Korean Song Min-Soon would be designated in October.
7. Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI reports that in an interview to RFI, Affi N’Guessan, the president of the ruling FPI, there are no more than 300,000 people without identification documents in Côte d’Ivoire. It is far from the 3.5 million reported by some politicians.
The paper also reports about a scandal at Rue Lepic, RDR headquarters. According to the paper, Alassane Ouattara has embezzled RDR’s money. As soon as the government allocated 800 millions CFA to the Opposition RDR party as its part of the funding to political parties, Alassane Ouattara transferred 650 millions of those funds to his personal account pretending that he had already pre-financed the party’s activities. According to some information, this act could result in a new crisis within RDR after the departure of Zemogo and several other influential members of RDR. 8. Fraternité Matin, the state owned daily writes again on the case of Guy-Andre Kieffer, the French-Canadian journalist, who vanished in Cote d’Ivoire in 2004. The paper reports that Mrs. Leoncine Wayoro, the little sister of the Tony Oulai, the presumed murderer, says that Guy-André Kieffer is alive. She is quoted as saying all this story is just a make-up to reach and break the presidential couple. She said all these allegations are not true.
September 19, 20071. All Ivoirian newspapers today devote large columns to the 5th anniversary of the September 19’s failed coup that was transformed into a full-scale rebellion in Cote d’Ivoire. The current social tension in this West African country continues to be front-page news, as reports say, President Laurent Gbagbo has vowed to punish doctors who led a nationwide strike last week. 2. With a picture of the Ivoirian leader on its front page, L’inter, a privately daily, says, "Gbagbo threatens to punish the striking doctors." According to the paper, Gbagbo was speaking yesterday in Abidjan when he met with primary school teachers to address, among other things, a government-sponsored housing program designed for teachers. 3. "I didn’t accept the strike called by doctors that resulted in the death of people… The law will be applied in its full rigor, because you cannot play with the life of people just like that… The role of the medicine is to save life and not to abandon people to die," Gbagbo is quoted as saying. 4. Meeting with teachers yesterday, Gbagbo also talked about the upcoming presidential election in his country. According to the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin, "Gbagbo disagrees with plan to organize the poll in October 2008." 5. "…For a country to be ruled, a president must be elected. They must enjoy powers vested on them by the Constitution. They should be able to form their own government to rule Cote d’Ivoire, based on promises they made to the people," Gbagbo is reported as saying. Against this background, Gbagbo added: "We must go quickly to elections. We must quickly come to a truce… Some are pushing the date of the elections far away. I disagree." 6. Gbagbo, speaking about the disarmament program, said: "The disarmament has really begun," reports Le Courrier d’Abidjan, a daily close to the Ivoirian leader. "Taking guns from combatants should not be seen as a symbolic ceremony. The guns, which were burnt down are no more circulating. 1,500 were burnt down in Bouake, and 1,000 were burnt down in the West," Gbagbo is quoted as saying. 7. Le Matin d’Abidjan carries a front-page item entitled: "Five years ago, France attacked Gbagbo." Telling readers a story about "Ivoirians’ long march to peace," the daily close to Gbagbo explains "how the RHDP – an opposition coalition – has destroyed Cote d’Ivoire." It calls the Ouagadougou Agreement, "A lesson of political maturity of Cote d’Ivoire to France." 8. Regarding the relations between Gbagbo and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, carries a front-page story entitled: "Gbagbo and Sarkozy forever." According to the paper, the Ivoirian leader, who is expected in New York on Saturday to take part in the UN General Assembly, is "pushing hard to meet Sarkozy," on the margins of the meeting. 9. Meanwhile, major news on the front-page of the paper says, "The World Bank and the UN are to wage a war against leaders who are involved in money laundry and embezzlement of public funds." 10. Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo comments, "The war is over but the rebellion is still there." With a picture of Gbagbo and Soro walking side by side, the paper believes that the cohabitation between the two men, after the signing of the Ouagadougou Agreement, is "the best". 11. Speaking to Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party, Claude Sahi, the president of UNIR – a minor party believed to be close to Ibrahim Coulibaly – suggests that "it’s important to involve Coulibaly in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement." 12. Finally, in a front-page story, L’inter tells readers that, "Wanda Nesbitt, 50, has been nominated as the new US Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire."
September 18, 20071. Today’s Ivoirian press says the populations in Abidjan protested yesterday against the high cost of living in Cote d’Ivoire. Newspapers also indicate that the identification process -- planned to begin on September 2007 -- could be delayed, as judges tasked to conduct the program are threatening to boycott it. 2. "The judges have decided to boycott the identification process, until their demand for a special status is met," reports the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin. "The judges wish to inform the national and the international opinion that they are not concerned by the identification process planned to start on September 25," the president Cote d’Ivoire National Union of Judges is quoted as saying. The motive behind this decision, indicates the paper, was "the government’s refusal to address their demand." 3. According to 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, "The security during the identification process was top of the agenda during a meeting yesterday between President Blaise Compaore and four military commanders from the Ivoirian Army, New Forces, UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) and French troops." 4. According to the paper, the meeting, which was held in Ouagadougou, offered the facilitator in the Ivoirian peace process and the military commanders the opportunity "to defuse" tension following recent rumors of coup-d’etat in Cote d’Ivoire. "We want to make sure that measures that have been put in place in order to secure the peace process are efficient," the paper quotes General Soumaila Bakayoko, commander of the New Forces Armed Forces, as saying. 5. While Cote d’Ivoire is preparing to mark the 5th anniversary of the September 19’s failed coup that was transformed into a full-scale rebellion, L’inter carries a picture of President Laurent Gbagbo and the Prime Minister, Soro Guillaume, explaining "the rapprochement" between "the old foes". 6. "Key players in a conflict that has ruined the social fiber during the past five years," writes the paper, "Gbagbo and Soro have now joined hands to face the challenge of reversing the situation in which they have plunged their motherland." The paper believes that "the fate Cote d’Ivoire lies but in the hands of Gbagbo and Soro, as the opposition groups are in a state of disintegration, and the international community becomes disillusioned." 7. A front-page story in Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo, says "Ivoirian opposition leaders talk much than they act." According to the paper, the former Ivoirian President Henri Konan Bedie and the leader of the opposition RDR party, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, have lost "the support of the populations at the grass root." 8. Ouattara, speaking to Le Patriote, a daily close to the RDR party, said: "The RDR is a democratic and a republican party, whose objective is to restore justice, progress and prosperity to Ivoirians." 9. L’intelligent d’Abidjan, a privately-owned daily, devotes its front-page to an interview Gbagbo granted to the French newspaper, Jeune Afrique. "Contrarily to what happened in the past, no candidature during the coming elections will be rejected," the paper quotes the Ivoirian president as saying. Regarding the controversy over the date of the poll, Gbagbo said: "There is no reason that could prevent us from organizing quickly these elections." 10. "Abobo revolts against the high cost of living," says a banner headline in Nord-Sud Quotidien. According to the paper, police yesterday used tear gas "to disperse demonstrators" in Abobo – a suburb in Abidjan. 11. Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, informs readers that, "From January 2008, the government will reduce workers’ salaries, while taxes will be increased."
September 17, 20071. Rumors of coup-d’etat and the social situation in Cote d’Ivoire are again subjects of front-page stories in the today’s press. Newspapers also say that Cote d’Ivoire and France are set to open a new chapter in their relationship, as French investors are coming back to this Western African country. 2. In a front-page story, the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin tells readers about President Laurent Gbagbo’s "new vision in the relationship between France and Cote d’Ivoire." Gbagbo, speaking to the French weekly newspaper, Jeune Afrique, is quoted as saying, "The time when they could tell Africans to do this or to do that is over." 3. Regarding the upcoming election in Cote d’Ivoire, the paper says, "Gbagbo confirmed that the poll can be held in December 2007," because "there is no reason that could prevent us from organizing quickly this election… and to guarantee that it is transparent." On the case of Guy-Andre Kieffer, the French-Canadian dual national journalist, who vanished in Cote d’Ivoire in 2004, Gbagbo is quoted as saying, "I’ve nothing to do with this matter." 4. Meanwhile, "About ten new French companies have come back to Cote d’Ivoire during the past years. Many companies are still waiting to see the election to be well organized before they come in. But every year more companies -- including those that left the country – come back," reports the paper. 5. Fraternite Matin is quoting the French Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Andre Janier, who was speaking last Friday in Abidjan at the opening of a seminar initiated by an NGO called "Action pour la France". The French diplomat, reports the paper is "optimistic" that French companies, which were closed down following the November 2004 event in Cote d’Ivoire, will resume business again. 6. "Janier sets the record straight, as France is accused of looting Cote d’Ivoire’s natural resources," says a front-page story in Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the ex-ruling PDCI-RDA. "In 2006, French companies’ contributions to the tax revenue in Cote d’Ivoire represented 50 per cent," Janier is quoted as saying. An excerpt of Janier’s speech says, "French companies’ contributions are vital for the economic and social development of Cote d’Ivoire." 7. A banner headline in Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party, says, "After doctors, workers at SOCEDI – Cote d’Ivoire Water Company – could embark on a strike as from Wednesday to press for salary increases." 8. L’inter, a privately-owned daily, quotes a leading member of the New Forces as saying, "IB is preparing a coup d’etat." The paper, which culls the item from www.fninfo.ci -- the site web of the former rebel movement --, quotes the deputy commander of the New Forces Armed Forces, Issiaka Ouattara, as saying, "People who are supporting Ibrahim Coulibaly -- alias IB -- are in town, and guns were convoyed to Abidjan and Bouake." 9. In another development, the paper publishes a statement issued by the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI). Excerpts say, "In accordance with the Ouagadougou Agreement, the UNOCI dismantled on September 14, 2007 its last checkpoints and transferred the safety of people and goods in the old buffer zone to the mixed brigades of the Integrated Command Centre." The UN Mission also "urges the Ivorian parties to continue their efforts to achieving a real and lasting peace," says the statement. 10. On the front page of Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, the spokesperson of the Licorne – the French troops in Cote d’Ivoire – explains "why the French peacekeepers returned the Yamoussoukro Airport to the Ivoirian Army." According to the paper, "The French soldiers, who had occupied the airport since the outbreak of the Ivorian conflict on 19 September, 2002, returned control of Yamoussoukro airport to the Ivorian National Armed Forces (FANCI) last Thursday." 12. Finally, a front-page story in Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition, says, "The chief editor of the paper and another chief editor of Le Rebond – a daily newspaper – are to appear before a court in Abidjan today." According to the paper, "The two journalists are accused of defaming the head of State after they published stories in connection which a purchase of cocoa factory in the US."
September 14, 20071. A scandal in the cocoa sector and doctors’ strike are the major news in today’s Ivoirian papers. However, the big question that hangs on the front page of many newspapers today is "when the upcoming election will be held?" in this West African country. 2. Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, carries a banner headline reading, "Beugre Mambe is categorical: No election without papers." The paper quotes the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Robert Beugre Mambe, as saying, "As long as Ivoirians won’t have their papers, there will be no election." 3. The Ivoirian electoral commissioner, who was speaking yesterday in Abidjan during a press conference, is quoted as saying, "We cannot give a date… However the presidential election could be held at the latest in October 2008." Commenting Mambe’s pronouncement on the date of the forthcoming election, the paper salutes what it calls, "a good and pragmatic decision." 4. With a picture of the Ivoirian electoral commissioner on its front page, the privately-owned daily L’inter says, "Mambe fixes the date of the first round of the coming election." The paper publishes a statement issued by the Independent Electoral Commission, which intends "to organize presidential election in October 2008." The paper quotes the Cabinet Director of the Ivoirian Prime Minister, who said: "If the Independent Electoral Commission fixes a date, we will push hard to meet the deadline." 5. A front-page story in Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition, predicts that, "It’s likely that the coming election takes place without prior disarmament of the ex-combatants." 6. As political parties in Cote d’Ivoire have been embarked in electoral campaigning in the perspective of the coming election, Le Matin d’Abidjan, a daily close to President Laurent Gbagbo, unveils what it calls "the bomb that the RHDP – an opposition coalition is preparing against Gbagbo." 7. In another development, Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, carries a front-page story entitled: "Purchasing of a cocoa factory: 100 billion Francs CFA embezzled at the FRC – Coffee-Cocoa Regulation Funds." 8. Reporting on what it calls "The biggest business scandal that ever happens in Cote d’Ivoire," the paper tells readers that, "During a money transfer from Abidjan to Washington, aimed at buying a cocoa factory in the United States, more than 100 billion Francs CFA have got missing, prompting the manager of the factory to send a letter to Gbagbo." 9. Still on the same "scandal", another front-page story in Le Patriote, a daily close to the opposition RDR party, says, "The American shareholder in the cocoa business sends a letter to Gbagbo." 10. 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, says the Ivoirian Presidential Palace and the Coffee-Cocoa Regulation Funds "refuse to comment on" what the paper suspects to be "a money laundry deal" in connection with the acquisition of a cocoa factory in the United States. 11. In another development, the paper informs readers that, the National Union of Senior Health Workers of Cote-d’Ivoire (SYNACASS-CI) has celled on striking doctors and health workers "to resume work today." 12. While the SYNACASS-CI "temporarily suspends its strike for eight days," reports the state-owned daily paper, Fraternite Matin, "The government has called on the retired doctors to assist in coping with the situation."
September 13, 20071. Today’s Ivoirian press is again preoccupied by doctors’ strike and the high cost of living in the country. Newspapers also say that the identification program, designed to issue national identity card to Ivoirians, is due to kick off on September 25. 2. A banner headline in Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition, announces that, "The public hearings are set to begin in 12 days as from today." "The announcement was made yesterday by the Justice and Human Rights Minister, Kone Mamadou," reports the paper. 3. Speaking after a meeting with the Prime Minister, Soro Guillaume, the paper quotes Kone as saying, "The working group overseeing the identification process has fixed the date of September 25 for the beginning of the program." 4. Boureima Badini Special Representative of President Blaise Compaore – facilitator in the Ivoirian peace process – is also reported as saying, "The identification process is the key to the success." Speaking after a courtesy call on Soro, Boureima said: "If all measures are taken to ensuring the success of the identification scheme, you’ll see that things will move smoothly." 5. As the identification scheme is officially planned to commence on September 25, Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, tells readers "what the law of the land provides regarding the re-constitution of destroyed birth registers." 6. The paper comments, "The identity problem is the principal reason of the crisis that Cote d’Ivoire is facing… Therefore, the identification process constitutes a hope for those who have either lost their identity documents or had their birth register destroyed or disappeared." 7. On the importance of the upcoming identification scheme, the state-owned daily, Fraternite Matin, suggests that, "The public hearings constitute the key of the electoral process." 8. A front-page story carried by the paper says, "President Laurent Gbagbo will address the UN General Assembly due to be held in New York, at the end of this month." According to the paper, "The subject and other issues relating to the ongoing peace process in Cote d’Ivoire were atop of a meeting between Gbagbo and French Ambassador Andre Janier yesterday." 9. The major news, however on the front-page of the paper, is government’s decision "to freeze up the price of some food products – including rice, milk and oil." "In a bid to curb the recent hike in the price of these foodstuffs, the government decided to suspend the Valued Added Tax on these products." The aim of the move, indicates the paper, is "to stabilize the costs of the food products and to scale down inflation, which must not exceed 3 per cent." 10. While the Ivoirian government is pushing hard to assuage the social tension in this West African country, Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition, carries pictures depicting "an atmosphere of sadness" in the government’s hospitals. According to the paper, the nationwide strike called by doctors and health workers has plunged the country into "a catastrophe." According to the paper, the movement is "a big challenge of the Ivoirian premier." 11. Still on the increasing wave of the social tension in Cote d’Ivoire, the privately-owned L’inter comments, "The three pillars of Gbagbo’s regime are in dire straits." According to the paper, "After doctors, teachers could launch an indefinite strike to press for better working conditions." 12. Telling readers, the main reason behind "the growing anger from soldiers, consumers, doctors…," the privately-owned, L’intelligent d’Abidjan says, "The honey moon that Gbagbo and Soro have been enjoying since the signing of the Ouagadougou Agreement is over." 13. The paper goes on, "The two leaders, who thought that they had found the panacea for the Ivoirian crisis has become disillusioned." "Many Ivoirians believe that the nomination of Soro is not the solution to the Ivoirian crisis, because the September 19’s events, which had brought to the fore Soro, are the main cause of the ongoing impoverishment in the country."
September 12, 20071. Despite an appeal from the Ivoirian authorities calling on the striking doctors to call off the movement, government’s hospitals remained closed, prompting different comments in today’s Ivoirian newspapers. 2. "Doctors renew their strike: A death threat hangs over Ivoirians," says a banner headline that runs across Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party. According to the paper, "Ivorian doctors, who have embarked on a nationwide and indefinite strike action since last Wednesday in protest against a court decision that appointed an acting manager at the head of their syndicate, ignored the call from the government to resume work." The strikers, reports the paper, also "refused to provide a minimum service." 3. In another development, the paper announces that, "Workers at SODECI – Cote d’Ivoire’s Company for Water Distribution – are threatening to cut water supply throughout the country on September 17 to protest a decision by the management relating to a deduction from workers’ wages." 4. In a story on the front-page of Le Nouveau Reveil, the Ivoirian Labor and Employment Minister, Hubert Oulai threatens the striking doctors, "We’ll cut your salaries." The Secretary General of the National Union of Senior Health Workers of Cote-d’Ivoire (SYNACASS-CI), Magloire Amichia responds: "We want our demands to be fully addressed." 5. As the minister and the union leader are visibly engaged in what the paper terms "a deadly standoff", it questions the meaning of what it calls, "The disturbing silence of Gbagbo and Soro." 6. Telling readers the "real motive" behind what it describes as "doctors’ rebellion," Le Matin d’Abidjan, a daily close to Gbagbo, accuses some ministers in the current administration of "putting more oil on the fire." It suspects "some close collaborators of President Gbagbo to be part of the maneuvering." 7. On a front-page story, the state-owned Fraternite Matin lists measures, which are to be taken by the Ivoirian government to end the strike. These measures include, among others, "Suspension of salaries, prosecution and radiation from the public service of whoever tries to disrupt activities at the government’s hospitals." 8. Speaking to the paper yesterday, the president of the Ivoirian Human Rights League (LIDHO), N’Gouan Patrick, said the decision by doctors to renew their strike was "regrettable." The civic right activist also explained that, "In the past, the government had never kept its promises," and argued that doctors should stop what he described as "useless standoff." 9. In a separate development, the paper reports that Coulibaly Seydou, publisher of Le Jour Plus and Alexis Noume, a journalist with the newspaper close to the opposition, were briefly detained yesterday by police. According to Fraternite Matin, the two journalists were arrested in connection with a story published by Le Jour Plus last week entitled: "Money laundering and illicit enrichment: CIA is chasing the Re-founders," with a picture of President Gbagbo illustrating the item. 10. "William Atteby threatens a journalist at a police station," says a banner headline that runs across, Le Jour Plus. The paper accuses Atteby, a leading member of the ruling FPI, of "Gross violation of free press." According to the paper, the publisher and a journalist with the daily, as well as the editor of Le Rebond, an Ivoirian weekly newspaper, were "briefly detained yesterday by the police in connection with a story relating to 'a scandal in the Ivoirian cocoa sector'." 11. "It’s high time to speed up the peace process," Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo, quotes Boureima Badini, as saying. Boureima Badini, says the paper, is the Special Representative of President Blaise Compaore – facilitator in the Ivoirian peace process –in Cote d’Ivoire.
September 11, 20071. Today’s Ivoirian press is preoccupied by the identification process, the major step toward the upcoming election in Cote d’Ivoire. Today also marks the 6th anniversary of the September 11’s terrorist attack in the US, and the event is a major subject in the dailies. 2. As the US commemorates today the event of the September 11, many Ivoirian dailies -- including Fraternite Matin -- carry a front-page story quoting President Bush saying, "Never forgetting that terrible day." 3. The state-owned daily publishes the full text of a statement issued yesterday by the American Embassy in Abidjan, where Bush says: "We remain determined to bring our enemies to justice, defy the terrorists’ ideology of hate, and work to make our world safer." The paper also carries an inside story entitled: "Six years ago, Al Qaeda hit America." 4. Back to the Ivoirian peace process, the paper publishes the entire text of a statement issued yesterday after a meeting between Prime Minister, Soro Guillaume, and a delegation of senior judges in connection with the identification program, designed to provide Ivoirian with identity cards in preparation of the forthcoming elections. The paper quotes the head of the delegation as saying, "Once papers are ready, we’ll begin the identification program. There is no problem." 5. Speaking to Fraternite Matin, Dr. Mel Privat, who was presenting his thesis in the US on the topic: "The challenges of the second Republic in Cote d’Ivoire," notes that, "The political landscape in Cote d’Ivoire has undergone radical changes." 6. As the Ivoirian former President, Henri Konan Bedie, is set to address a rally in the southern city of Dabou next weekend, Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI, says "Time has come for Bedie to discover the reality on the ground." The paper quotes a leading member of the ruling FPI as saying, "FPI has taken over the bastions of the PDCI-RDA [the ex-ruling party in Cote d’Ivoire]." 7. "Identification process: Soro prepares a coup," says a banner headline in Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition. The paper announces that the Ivoirian head of the transitional government will make a statement on September 17, in connection with the identification process. 8. According to a front-page story in L’inter, "Gbagbo is the French authorities’ favorite candidate for the upcoming presidential election in Cote d’Ivoire."
September 10, 20071. The nationwide and indefinite strike called by doctors and health workers is again a front-page subject in the press following government call on strikers to resume work today. 2. A front-page story in Fraternite Matin, the state-owned daily says, "The government has decided to get involved in the matter, which brought doctors and health workers to embark on a nationwide strike." 3. In a statement issued after two cabinet meetings over the weekend, reports the paper, "The government wants the suffering of the population to end as soon as possible. It therefore demands all doctors, pharmacists, dentists and veterinaries to resume work on Monday, September 10, 2007 at 7:30 in order to attend to the population." 4. According to the paper, this is the second time in less than a month that doctors and health workers have embarked on a strike following a court decision imposing a provisional administrator to chair the National Union Senior Health Workers (SYNACASS-CI). The paper also informs readers that consumers are planning "to demonstrate today to protest high cost of living in Cote d’Ivoire." 4. In its weekend edition, Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition reported that, "The doctors and health workers’ strike took a dramatic turn, when two pregnant women died at the Abidjan Military Hospital, while patients were virtually abandoned in government hospitals in Yamoussoukro and Bouake." 5. While the government is demanding doctors and health workers to resume work today, a front-page story in Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, quotes leaders of SYNACASS-CI as saying, "No way", and that, "Only a general assembly of the union can decide on whether to end the strike or not." 6. The paper quotes Amichia Magloire, Secretary General of SYNACASS-CI, as saying, "We’ll decide on Tuesday [tomorrow]." The paper believes that, "The strike is well-founded," but calls it "an immoral" movement. 7. "Doctors and health workers’ strike: The government capitulates," says a front-page story in L’inter. According to the privately-owned daily, "The strikers could soon end their movement, after the secretary general of SYNACASS-CI has been re-established by a court decision." According to the paper, "This decision abrogates the previous one, which suggested the nomination of a provisional administration for SYNACASS-CI." 8. In a related development, Nord-Sud Quotidien, in its today’s edition, announces that, "After doctors, nurses are to embark on a strike as from tomorrow." It comments, "The implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement is being hindered- by workers’ industrial actions." 9. In a separate development, Le Matin d’Abidjan, a daily close to President Laurent Gbagbo, says, "The UN is demanding the Ivoirian youth leader, Charles Ble Goude, to pay 11 million Francs CFA, as a condition to lift an international sanction imposed on him." 10. "Koulibaly teaches Houphouetism," says a banner headline that runs across Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party. Speaking at a rally over the weekend, Mamadou Koulibaly, a leading member of the party, is quoted as saying, "If Felix Houphouët Boigny was still alive, he would be ashamed of his heirs."
September 7, 20071. Friday’s Ivoirian press is preoccupied by medical doctors’ nationwide indefinite strike, which has crippled activities at the government’s hospitals. Laurent Dona Fologo, an Ivoirian leading political figure, is also in the limelight, a day after he spoke on current issues in Cote d’Ivoire during a public conference held in Abidjan. Papers reputed to be very critical of the current regime devote their front page to what they call "a scandal in the Ivoirian cocoa sector." 2. "Money laundering and illicit enrichment: CIA is chasing the Re-founders," says a banner headline that runs across Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition. Citing reliable sources, the paper suggests that, "A factory, which was acquired a few years ago by Ivoirian authorities in the United States with the purpose to transform cocoa products exported from Cote d’Ivoire, has never grinded a single kilogram of cocoa." 3. The paper alleges that, "American authorities have now discovered that the project was designed to mask a money laundering business." It goes on, "The Coffee and Cocoa Regulation Funds (FRC) has simply embezzled money of poor farmers, who continue to pay the heavy price of their ignorance." It also tells readers that, "Guy-Andre Kieffer, the French-Canadian dual national journalist, disappeared in Cote d’Ivoire while he was investigating many malpractices in the cocoa sector." 4. Moreover, Le Jour Plus, questions the rationale behind the project of "setting up a chocolate industry in a country, across the Atlantic Ocean, instead of Cote d’Ivoire, where it could generate resources and employment, which are essential factors of economic growth." 5. With a picture of the Ivoirian president on its front page, Le Patriote, a daily close to the opposition RDR party, writes, "Gbagbo in a mess!" Quoting RFI – Radio France Internationale –, the paper says, "His men have defrauded American pensioners of 20 billions Francs CFA. The FRC is being investigated for money laundering." 6. "Chocolate factory’s scandal in the US: The Ivoirian cocoa sector involved in a money-laundering deal," says a banner headline in Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition. Another prominent headline in Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the ex-ruling PDCI-RDA party, reads, "Purchase of cocoa-processing factory in the US: 30 billions Francs CFA, which were to be transferred from Abidjan to Washington by the FRC, vanished." 7. The other major headline on the front page of the paper says, "Fologo tells Gbagbo the truth," as the President of Economic and Social Council denounces "corruption, FESCI, insecurity, high cost of living, treachery during exams, and nepotism," reports Le Nouveau Reveil. Fologo, who was speaking yesterday during a conference in Abidjan, is quoted as saying, "There is a need to stop those who have taken hostage the future of the country." 8. "Fologo attacks FESCI," writes Le Matin d’Abidjan, a daily close to Gbagbo. "We must make sure that students’ syndicates become a body that defends the interests of the students and that is more preoccupied by their study instead of playing politics that they would have more time to do after their study." 9. "Time for change has come," Le Courrier d’Abidjan quotes Fologo as saying. The Ivoirian political figure also described FESCI as "a lasting bomb," and called on the country’s authorities to do something "to stop the wave of corruption that is decaying the social fiber." 10. While "hospitals in Cote d’Ivoire are close down as a result of doctors’ strike," Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo, sounds the alarm saying, "People are dying." According to the privately-owned daily L’inter, "The Ivoirian Health Minister, Allah Kouadio, has proved his incapacity to resolve the problem." 11. A front-page story in 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition, says, "The minister is negotiating with leaders of the trade union of Ivoirian doctors to demand them to soften their position by ensuring minimum services in the hospitals."
September 6, 20071. News in today’s Ivoirian press is dominated by the peace process and political campaigning ahead of the forthcoming presidential election in Cote d’Ivoire. The Minister of Communication, according to reports, also called upon media watchdog committees to ensure objectivity and professionalism in the media. The other major news is, however, the national indefinite strike, called by the trade union of Ivoirian doctors to protest against a court decision suspending the leader of their union. 2. Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party, carries a banner, saying, "Activities at the hospitals have been brought to a standstill following a strike launched by doctors." According to the paper, the movement was triggered by "a court decision" following an in-fighting within the Ivoirian doctors’ trade-union. 3. "Many patients, who went to government’s hospitals yesterday, were turned back, as they were not aware of the strike," reports the privately-owned daily Soir Info. In a commentary, the paper denounces what it calls "a wildcat strike," and demands the government "to punish" those who are behind the movement. 4. While government’s hospitals are virtually close down, L’intelligent d’Abidjan, a privately-owned daily, notes "increasing activities in the private clinics." 5. Telling the plight of patients who were caught up in the ongoing strike, Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition, suggests that, "The population could face a danger, unless swift measures are taken to resolve the problem." 6. In another development, a leading member of the Ivoirian opposition group, who was speaking to the paper, warns that, "The upcoming election could be delayed." The paper quotes the Chairman of the opposition MFA party – Movement of Forces of the Future --, Anaky Kobena, as saying, "Almost six months after the signing of the Ouagadougou Agreement, nothing has been done as far as the election is concerned." Anaky Kobena, who called on the Ivoirian opposition leaders "to file a single candidate if they are willing to win," notes that, "Elections cannot be held in Cote d’Ivoire at least after 18 months." 7. As the West African country is preparing for the coming election, Ivoirian political leaders are engaged in a political campaign. According to the state-owned daily Fraternite Matin, the former Ivoirian President, who is also the leader of the ex-ruling PDCI-RDA party, Henri Konan Bedie, is expected in the southern city of Dabou on September 22 for a political rally. The paper quotes the party leaders as saying, "About 30 thousands people are expected to attend the rally." 8. Addressing a rally in the state’s political capital Yamoussoukro, Alphonse Djedje Mady, a leading member of the PDCI-RDA "crucified" the ruling FPI party, says a front-page story in Le Nouveau Reveil. Mady, reports the paper close to the PDCI-RDA, invited the people "not to vote for the FPI." 9. In a four-page in-depth story, Le Temps, a daily close to Gbagbo, allegedly accuses the Ivoirian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, of "looting the Ivoirian economy," during the time the President of the RDR opposition party was Prime Minister of Cote d’Ivoire. The paper also depicts Ouattara as the "father of the rebellion," adding that the opposition leader is short of "political courage." 10. A banner headline in Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces, explains "how the ruling PFI party has betrayed its allies, such as the army, militia groups, trade-unions, and the FESCI -- an Ivorian pro-government students group." In a front-page story, the paper highlights what it calls "the great disillusion of soldiers under the current regime." 11. Speaking to L’intelligent d’Abidjan, Joel N’Guessan, a former minister of Human Rights, told the paper that, "The current social mess in Cote d’Ivoire is the result of impunity that is going on in the country." 12. Apparently concerned by the current news reporting, the Minister of Communication, Ibrahim Sy Savane, called upon media watchdog committees to ensure "professionalism", and that news reports in the Ivoirian press are "balanced." According to Fraternite Matin, the minister, who was meeting yesterday representatives of the watchdog committees, also insisted that, "Political parties and the civic groups should be given equal access to the state-owned media."
September 5, 20071. News reports in today’s Ivoirian press say that the trade union of Ivoirian doctors has called for an indefinite national strike. Dailies again comment on Monday’s demonstrations staged by FESCI – an Ivorian pro-government students group. However the major issue is the outcomes of the meeting of the evaluation committee of the Ouagadougou Agreement held yesterday in the Burkinabe capital to assess the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire. 2. With a picture of Burkina Faso’s President, Blaise Compaore on its front page, the state-owned daily, Fraternite Matin, writes "The Evaluation and Accompaniment Committee (ECA) has taken major decisions during its meeting yesterday in Burkina Faso." 3. Compaore, reports the paper, called on Ivoirian stakeholders "to stick to the timetable in order to hold elections." "The undeniable progress made to end the crisis must be consolidated every day and requires constant follow-up," Compaore is quoted as saying. According to the paper, the leader of the New Forces and Ivoirian Prime Minister, Soro Guillaume, held talks with Compaore on the margins of the meeting. 4. The paper also carries the final communique published at the end of the meeting, which strongly recommends that, "Measures should be put in place to enable the identification process to get underway before the end of September 2007." 5. A front-page story in Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling FPI party, says the Ouagadougou meeting pressed the Ivoirian political key players "to speed up the peace process" underway in Cote d’Ivoire. 6. "Blaise Compaore called on the Ivoirian leaders to stick to the dates," writes L’intelligent d’Abidjan, a privately-owned daily. According to the paper, "The second meeting of the Evaluation and Accompaniment Committee did not address the issue relating ranks of Ivoirian soldiers." 7. Regarding the ranks issue, Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party, quotes the Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo as saying, "People gained their ranks while they were in the maquis. I receive them because they are the people I am negotiating with." A front-page story carried by the paper says, "The Ouagadougou meeting ended without any concrete result." 8. "Compaore restores order, as the Evaluation and Accompaniment Committee meets in Ouagadougou," says a banner headline in Le Patriote, a daily close to the opposition RDR party. Commenting the final document issued after the meeting, the paper indicates that, "The Integrated Commanding Center – A security body made up of soldiers drawn from both Cote d’Ivoire National Armed Forces and the New Forces’ Armed Forces -- has been tasked to ensure security during the public hearings." 9. Regarding the date of the upcoming elections in Cote d’Ivoire, the paper quotes Gbagbo as saying, "I’ve never said that elections should be held before December." 10. In another development, Le Jour Plus, a daily close to the opposition, says, "There is a growing tension among the students, as FESCI has given the Ivoirian interior minister an ultimatum." According to the paper, the leadership of FESCI held yesterday a crisis meeting, where they gave the interior minister "up to Friday to resolve the crisis." The paper quotes one of FESCI’s leaders as saying, "We demand the compensation to be paid by Friday." 11. In the wake of FESCI’s demonstration, which resulted in "important damages caused in Abidjan," Soir Info, a privately-owned daily, says the Ivoirian authorities are "responsible" for what it terms, "The culture of violence." According to the paper, the Secretary of FESCI, Serge Koffi, who is speaking from South Africa, said: "FESCI will react promptly." 11. Finally, Le Courrier d’Abidjan, a daily close to Gbagbo, carries a banner headline reading, "Doctors have called for an indefinite national strike to protest against the suspension of the leader of their union by the justice."
September 4, 20071. The meeting of the evaluation committee of the Ouagadougou Agreement today in the Burkinabe capital to assess the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire since the signing of the accord last March, and a demonstration staged yesterday in Abidjan by FESCI – an Ivorian pro-government students group --, are the major issues in today’s press. 2. "Violent demonstration of FESCI in Abidjan: The monster attacks again," says a banner headline in Le Patriote, a daily close the opposition RDR party. According to the paper, "The Ivorian Federation of Students and School Pupils (FESCI) was protesting against the non-payment of 300 million CFA Francs that Ivoirian authorities had promised to the FESCI last year in the aftermath of tense clashes with the cadet police officers who raided the university campus." 3. "45 vehicles were snatched from their owners, 20 people were injured, many vehicles are destroyed," during the demonstration staged yesterday by the Ivorian Federation of Students and School Pupils (FESCI)," reports 24 Heures, a daily close to the opposition. 4. "Exasperated by the drifts of its monster, the FPI regime revolts against the FESCI," writes Le Front, a daily close to the New Forces. "The police clash with the students," says a front-page story in Soir Info. 5. Le Nouveau Reveil, a daily close to the ex-ruling PDCI-RDA, calls yesterday’s demonstration "a divorce between the ‘father’ and the ‘children’." 6. As the evaluation committee of the Ouagadougou Agreement is due to meet today in the Burkinabe capital to assess the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire since the signing of the accord last March, Le Front suggests that, "The meeting could consider to propose a new timetable for the implementation of the accord." 7. Le Patriote calls on the evaluation committee and the facilitator to come out with what it calls "an objective assessment of the peace process," by naming "those responsible for the delay in the implementation of the Ouagadougou Agreement." 8. In an "exclusive report," Nord-Sud Quotidien, a daily close to the opposition, says, "The Ivoirian opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara and the Ivoirian ex-President, Henri Konan Bedie, have lost the battle, as they tried to press the United Nations to revert its decision to suspend the post of the High Representative in-charge of elections in Cote d’Ivoire." 9. Le Temps, a daily close to President Laurent Gbagbo, carries a two-page in-depth report explaining what it calls "mismanagement under the regime of the former Ivoirian president." The paper alleges that, "During Bedie’s term in office, there had been gross Human Rights violations including imprisonment of journalists, torture, kidnapping, and killing of political opponents." 10. Speaking to the state-owned daily, Fraternite Matin, Charles Ble Goude leader of the Young Patriots – a movement close to Gbagbo – says, "The time for sacrifice has come." According to the paper, the youth leader was commenting on issues relating to the recent anger of soldiers, the ranks of the New Forces’ soldiers, and nomination of the Soro Guillaume as the Prime Minister of the transitional government. The paper quotes Ble Goude as saying, "I’m against the financing of political parties. 11. Regarding the upcoming presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire, Fraternite Matin quotes the prefect of Abidjan as saying, "We’ll prevent any illicit registration." 12. Ble Goude is also in the limelight, as L’inter carries the picture of the youth leader, who allegedly accuses "France" of opposing plan aimed at lifting a UN sanction against him and other Ivoirian key players on the ground that they were "blocking the peace process." 13. In a front-page story, Notre Voie, a daily close to the ruling PFI, comments recent development regarding Guy-Andre Kieffer, the Franco-Canadian dual national journalist, who vanished in Cote d’Ivoire in April 2004. The paper denounces "the hidden agenda of Berte Seydou," who, according to media reports was "an eyewitness in the case of the journalist."
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