Soldiers Ask Staff To Leave Cote D'Ivoire, Press Raises Concern

Soldiers Ask Staff To Leave Cote D'Ivoire, Press Raises Concern

The UN peace operation in Cote d'Ivoire on Monday said soldiers loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo at the weekend combed the residences of some UN personnel, asking them to leave the country.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cote d'Ivoire , Jim-Young Choi, told newsmen in Abidjan that Gbagbo's soldiers had been visiting UN personnel at night on the pretext of searching for weapons.

'' Since December 18, 2010, President Gbagbo's camp has started sending armed young people to the homes of UN personnel to knock on their doors and ask when they are going to leave…These visits take place mainly at night,'' said the official.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports the UN special representative as saying that the government had deliberately set up checkpoints on major routes around the country to frustrate UN patrols.

He said the president's soldiers had also set up multiple check- points around the Gulf Hotel where President-elect Alassane Ouattara works with his cabinet to frustrate his operations.

'' Since Dec. 15, 2010, Gbagbo's camp has increased hostility on the international community in Cote d'Ivoire , including the diplomatic corps, the peacekeepers of the UN and French Licorne force,''  the UN official said.

Asked the way forward for the country, he said the next decision would depend on Gbagbo's respect for the people's wish to hand over power.

''The people decided in the November 28, 2010 presidential election and the UN and the world are waiting for President Gbagbo to respect the results of the election as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has pointed out,'' he said.

The special representative added that the UN had closed its other humanitarian concerns in the country to focus on the political crisis.

Gbagbo had on Friday issued a directive to the 10,000 UN peace keepers and the 900 French Licorne soldiers to leave Cote
d'Ivoire .

The press under ‘gag'

International journalists covering the political crisis in Abidjan , Cote d'Ivoire , have gone underground following the rising cases of attacks and threats against them. 

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the journalist from countries in Africa, Europe, Canada, Asia and America, now rely on local contacts for news, while keeping away from the streets and events.  

The journalists are being accused of publishing favourable reports on the declared winner of the presidential elections, Alassane Ouattara.

NAN reports that most of the journalists now stay in touch with colleagues through phone calls and e-mails.

Many of them alleged that they had been assaulted by security men, loyal to Gbagbo, who destroyed or confiscated their working tools, including cameras, digital recorders, microphones and lap top computers.

''I'm being about as brave as Scooby and Shaggy. I'm still moving around town freely but I'm not getting out on the street to report,'' a journalist who did not want to be mentioned said in one of the e-mails to NAN .

Another reporter said he had to stop reporting for fear of his safety.  
 
''I' m going for a drive today, but only around Cocody. The road towards the US embassy, right around the corner, is blocked but I want to check and see for myself…For the past three days I have only ventured out as a resident so to speak, leaving my microphone and camera at home,'' he said.

NAN reports that a convoy of French journalists who went to Abidjan city centre on Friday, to report situations there, came under attack when a bunch of people with balaclavas arrived and began shooting into the air.

While many journalists said they had received threats for writing reports on the UN and Ouattara, others said they had not received threats, but would rather remain indoors. 

Apart from the threats, the Ivorian government has since barred the publication of newspapers favourable to Ouattara.

Responding to questions on the ban on newspapers, Ivorian Minister of Communication, Gnonzie Ouattara said newspapers carrying reports on the opposition were banned because of their disrespect for the constitution.

"We're trying to convince our colleagues in the private press they have a duty to respect our Constitution, you respect institutions of the Republic and our laws," the Minister said.

He said Ivorian law would not allow newspapers that threaten the unity of the country to circulate.

''The law states that a newspaper can be banned, especially when it calls for a revolt against the government...Newspapers have no right to demoralise and depress the people. Some articles on violence in Cote d'Ivoire are untrue, a sort of call for revolt,'' he said.

Ouattara said he was only informed on Saturday that several newspapers supporting Alassane Ouattara had been barred since Friday by security officers of President Laurent Gbagbo.

The National Press Council (NPC), which is the official organ of control in the country, denounced the ‘intolerable attack on press freedom' and called for the reappearance of the newspapers.

NAN also reports that for two weeks, since the political crisis started, journalists, Ivorians and other residents had not been able to send or receive text messages.

The Ivorian electoral commission had on December 2, announced Ouattara as the winner of the November 28, presidential run-off election.

NAN/Yinka