February 9, 2010

New Forces’ leaders meeting yesterday in Bouake on the current political stalemate was the subject of front-page stories in Tuesday’s Ivorian press. Other major reports focused on efforts underway in a bid to save the Ivorian peace process from total collapse. The dailies again reported on Female Genital Mutilation in Cote d’Ivoire,  and a feature story published by Fraternite Matin highlighted concepts and practices of good management.

1. A prominent story in Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the Ivorian Prime Minister) said that the New Forces meeting yesterday in Bouake warned about the specter of a looming “civil war” in Cote d’Ivoire. According to the paper, the meeting took place as the former rebel movement expressed “deep concerns” following the crisis that has engulfed the electoral process. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, New Forces Spokesman Sidiki Konate warned those who are behind what he saw as “manipulation.” “It is Rwanda that is being prepared in Cote d’Ivoire…. I don’t want to frighten Ivorians. But this is what the delegates [NOTE: participants in the Monday meeting] are saying,” the paper quoted Konate as saying. The paper further explained that these concerns that the New Forces’ spokesman was referring to were expressed by the population in the 10 zones formerly under the control of the New Forces, as the row over fraud allegations leveled against the Independent Electoral Commission continues. The paper further quoted Konate as saying that “the seeds of a war is there,” because “we have today in places a real danger to the peaceful coexistence of our communities, as these communities are engaged in a standoff and are ready to attack each other.”   
2. A front-page story in L’inter (an independent daily) said that the former rebels meeting yesterday brought forward new grievances including calls on the government to “act with diligence on the decrees that have not yet been signed” regarding the alignment of the ranks of rebel officers with those of the government forces. The paper also published a statement issued after the meeting calling for the dismantling of militias, in line with the Ouagadougou Political Agreement. “The New Forces note that the disarmament and dismantling of the militias provided for in the Ouagadougou Political Agreement is not yet effective,” said the statement.
3. While the New Forces leaders sounded an alarm on the risk of civil war in Cote d’Ivoire, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) carried a political cartoon that depicted incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo holding a document with a message reading “Ivoirité”, an issue that the cartoonist believed could throw the country into “danger.” The paper then carried a story warning that the continuous arbitrary arrests, denunciations and attempts to halt the peace process could plunge Cote d’Ivoire into chaos.
4. On the electoral process underway in Cote d’Ivoire, a story in the state-owned Fraternite Matin suggested that the controversy over the voter list could jeopardize plans to organize peaceful elections in this country. In a related development, a report in the paper said that lawyers of the Chairman of the electoral commission yesterday refuted accusations of fraud leveled against him. Reacting to calls for the resignation of the electoral commissioner, the paper quoted Francis Wodie, an Ivorian politician and constitutionalist, as saying that “President Gbagbo cannot sack the head of the electoral commission, Robert Beugre Mambe.” In a bid to resolve the political impasse triggered by the fraud allegations, Wodie reportedly suggested “a political solution” rather than a judicial one, adding that “the PIT (his party) is demanding the resignation of the head of the electoral commission to pave the way for the resolution of the crisis.”  
5. A report in Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) described Mambe’s refusal to relinquish his position as “defiance” of the laws of the land and called on the Ivorian judicial system to fulfill their responsibilities. The paper noted that nobody is above the law, and once the conclusions of an investigation found the chairman of the electoral commission guilty of fraud, the latter must be brought to justice. Nuit et Jour (a daily close to the opposition) described as “desperate and ridiculous” Mambe’s struggle to keep his position. The paper, which believed that the electoral commissioner must resign or be removed from office, saw the RHDP’s [the opposition coalition] decision to support him as “indecent.” Meanwhile, a report in Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the opposition PDCI-RDA party) said that youths close to the opposition coalition are keeping vigil at the residence of the electoral commissioner in Abidjan in a bid to protect him.
6. A prominent story in Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) announced that President Blaise Compaore, facilitator in the Ivorian electoral process, has invited Ivorian political stakeholders for a crucial meeting in Ouagadougou in a bid to resolve the crisis following the allegations of fraud. A report in L’inter said that barring the unexpected the meeting will take place February 11, 2010, and will bring together representatives of the presidential camp, the opposition groups and the head of the electoral commission. According to Fraternite Matin, the Ivorian Interior Minister is expected today in Ouagadougou to meet President Compaore as part of consultations ahead of Thursday’s meeting. 
7. On another development, Fraternite Matin reported that 180 communities in Cote d’Ivoire have decided to abandon the practice of the Female Genital Mutilation. According to the paper, this was announced last week during a press conference organized by UNICEF and GOCI’s officials in connection with the celebration of the World Day against Female Genital Mutilation. The paper also announced that a national program code-named “Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation” will be launched soon to raise awareness on the danger of this phenomenon. Meanwhile, a report in Le Temps noted that the campaign against the Female Genital Mutilation has recorded positive results though the situation in the northern, central and western regions of the country is still alarming.
8. Finally, in yesterday’s edition, Fraternite Matin carried a feature article highlighting the concepts and practices of good management. The writer, an independent contributor, quoted excerpts of a book from the Nouveaux Horizons collection [published by ARS Paris and frequently supplied by PAS Abidjan] that talks about this issue.