Saturday, June 12, 2004
The Bad and the Good
Quite a bit of bad and little good. During the events of Monday, some 40 or so French were injured, and others no doubt got the shock of their life as the pro-Gbagbo thugs attacked their cars, with in most cases police looking on but doing nothing. The same thing is reported with 7 police present during the “patriot” attack on the French Embassy by about 200 young people, but they did nothing, the French gendarmes on the roof using tear gas and stun grenades to repel them.
About 9 pm the UNOCI centre in Zone 3 was attacked. Military trucks blocked the way for at least part of the time, but the police did not stop some 30 UN vehicles being damaged. The UN has threatened to act in self-defence next time.
Ex-student and unemployed Blé Goudé, now rocketed to fame, who the press reports receives a generous monthly allowance from the Présidence, plus has vehicles and bodyguards provided, has said that the UN and French forces vehicles should not circulate until President Gbagbo returns from the States. It makes some people wonder whether these events are not orchestrated – and not just by the FPI party. It sort of shows the Prime Minister up in a bad light, in view of the fact the country is in his hands while the President is in the United States, seeking hands to shake. And, of course, for a Prayer Breakfast, putting as much distance as possible from the accusations of the March massacre, etc.
There are concerns about the safety of whites in general, and the British Embassy has since Wednesday once again put Ivory Coast on the list of those countries it is not advisable to visit, even for business reasons. However, in fact, Abidjan is back to normal.
This disorder, with street rule by young thugs in support of the President, does the country no good and even the army has now spoken out against the way the young "patriots" acted. The follow-up planned Tuesday demonstration was quickly put down, though Blé Goudé has been allowed to go ahead with his demonstrations at the French BIMA camp near the airport.
Of course, the FPI wants people to believe that the French allowed the penetration into Gohitafla, with the result that gendarmes, obviously not on their guard and expecting the French to protect them, had their throats slit as an unarmed group of “out of control rebel elements” came looking for arms. Blame anybody except yourself! And that was the catalyst for the “patriot” actions in Abidjan and San Pedro against the French and the UN.
The withdrawing rebels, in many cases dozos (traditional hunters), stumbled on a French patrol which engaged them, with about 15 deaths reported among the rebels and 2 injured among the French.
The only light on the horizon is that the PDCI looks like coming back into the reconciliation government, thanks to Diarra’s diplomacy and statesmanship. It is unlikely that Gbagbo will back down over the ministers he has replaced, but a compromise will no doubt be worked out over that, so that Gbagbo can be seen to have won the tussle, as was the case with the first nominations for Defence and the Interior. Nobody is likely to weep over the passing of Soro, and he will no doubt continue to walk on his red carpet (literally!) as leader of the MPCI and New Forces in the north even if he has no ministerial position in the south.
Quite a bit of bad and little good. During the events of Monday, some 40 or so French were injured, and others no doubt got the shock of their life as the pro-Gbagbo thugs attacked their cars, with in most cases police looking on but doing nothing. The same thing is reported with 7 police present during the “patriot” attack on the French Embassy by about 200 young people, but they did nothing, the French gendarmes on the roof using tear gas and stun grenades to repel them.
About 9 pm the UNOCI centre in Zone 3 was attacked. Military trucks blocked the way for at least part of the time, but the police did not stop some 30 UN vehicles being damaged. The UN has threatened to act in self-defence next time.
Ex-student and unemployed Blé Goudé, now rocketed to fame, who the press reports receives a generous monthly allowance from the Présidence, plus has vehicles and bodyguards provided, has said that the UN and French forces vehicles should not circulate until President Gbagbo returns from the States. It makes some people wonder whether these events are not orchestrated – and not just by the FPI party. It sort of shows the Prime Minister up in a bad light, in view of the fact the country is in his hands while the President is in the United States, seeking hands to shake. And, of course, for a Prayer Breakfast, putting as much distance as possible from the accusations of the March massacre, etc.
There are concerns about the safety of whites in general, and the British Embassy has since Wednesday once again put Ivory Coast on the list of those countries it is not advisable to visit, even for business reasons. However, in fact, Abidjan is back to normal.
This disorder, with street rule by young thugs in support of the President, does the country no good and even the army has now spoken out against the way the young "patriots" acted. The follow-up planned Tuesday demonstration was quickly put down, though Blé Goudé has been allowed to go ahead with his demonstrations at the French BIMA camp near the airport.
Of course, the FPI wants people to believe that the French allowed the penetration into Gohitafla, with the result that gendarmes, obviously not on their guard and expecting the French to protect them, had their throats slit as an unarmed group of “out of control rebel elements” came looking for arms. Blame anybody except yourself! And that was the catalyst for the “patriot” actions in Abidjan and San Pedro against the French and the UN.
The withdrawing rebels, in many cases dozos (traditional hunters), stumbled on a French patrol which engaged them, with about 15 deaths reported among the rebels and 2 injured among the French.
The only light on the horizon is that the PDCI looks like coming back into the reconciliation government, thanks to Diarra’s diplomacy and statesmanship. It is unlikely that Gbagbo will back down over the ministers he has replaced, but a compromise will no doubt be worked out over that, so that Gbagbo can be seen to have won the tussle, as was the case with the first nominations for Defence and the Interior. Nobody is likely to weep over the passing of Soro, and he will no doubt continue to walk on his red carpet (literally!) as leader of the MPCI and New Forces in the north even if he has no ministerial position in the south.
