DATE=12/24/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=IVORY COAST / UPRISING (L)
NUMBER=2-257454
BYLINE=CHALLISS MCDONOUGH
DATELINE=NAIROBI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Government officials in Ivory Coast say there
is no need to panic, despite the fact that renegade
soldiers are continuing to roam freely through the
streets of the country's largest city, Abidjan. As V-
O-A's Challiss McDonough reports, the disgruntled
troops rebelled Thursday, complaining that they had
not been fully paid for service in the United Nations
peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic.
TEXT: Ivoirian Defense Minister Bandeama N'Gatta says
talks are underway to resolve the crisis in Abidjan.
He says leaders of the military uprising have
discussed their demands with top government officials,
and are holding further talks with President Henri
Konan Bedie.
The defense minister says the troops are complaining
of unpaid wages and poor living conditions in military
barracks. He says they have no political demands.
Mr. N'Gatta told the French news agency the president
has promised not to punish the mutinous soldiers if
they return to their barracks.
The soldiers began rampaging through the streets
Thursday, apparently after a failed attempt to seize
the army's chief commander (General Maurice Tauthui).
Reports from Abidjan say the city streets are deserted
as residents take cover in their homes. Automatic
weapons fire can still be heard in several areas. The
sound of large explosions has been heard on the
outskirts of the city, but it is not clear what caused
the blasts.
Several foreign embassies in Abidjan have urged their
citizens to stay indoors, and a number of African
airlines have suspended flights to Ivory Coast. There
have been reports that the soldiers have taken over
the main airport in Abidjan, but the reports cannot be
independently confirmed.
It is not clear whether the government will be able to
meet the soldiers' demands for back pay. Ivory Coast
is the world's top producer of cocoa and has been
gripped by financial difficulties in recent months as
cocoa and coffee prices on world markets have slumped.
The economic crisis was compounded when international
donors froze aid to the country over concerns about
corruption and accountability.
The rebellion also erupted amid an apparently
unrelated political crisis in Ivory Coast, which has
generally been considered one of the most stable
nations in West Africa.
The dispute centers on whether exiled opposition
leader and former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara can
challenge President Bedie in next year's presidential
elections.
/// REST OPT ///
The president has accused Mr. Ouattara of being a
foreigner -- a charge the opposition leader denies.
Mr. Ouattara has accused the president of harassing
members of his political party, the Rally of the
Republicans. The government arrested 11 party leaders
last month and has issued an arrest warrant for Mr.
Ouattara.
On Wednesday, President Bedie offered conditional
amnesty to the jailed party leaders. In an
unprecedented speech to parliament, the president
appealed for calm and dignity during the election
season and urged the opposition to cooperate with the
government. (Signed)
NEB/CEM/JWH/KL
24-Dec-1999 07:48 AM EDT (24-Dec-1999 1248 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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