Ivorian army changes name to escape dark image

Ivorian army changes name to escape dark image

Cote d’Ivoire government says it will change the official name of its armed forces in the coming days, in what is seen as an effort to clean up its image after the country's civil war.

FRCI

Government spokesman, Bruno Kone told reporters that the name would be changed from the current FRCI (Republican Forces of Ivory Coast) to FANCI (National Armed Forces of Ivory Coast), a name that was first used for Ivory Coast's military by post-independence President Felix Houphouet-Boigny.

Kone explained that FRCI was the name given to the body of fighters that battled to remove Laurent Gbagbo from power earlier this year and allowed Alassane Ouattara, widely believed to have won last November's presidential election, to take power.

"At a time like this, we need to adopt the most widely acceptable name possible," Kone said.

The government is keen to forge a disciplined and unified force from the patchwork of former rebel and loyalist gunmen that now forms the army.

Its soldiers, many of them former rebels from the country's first civil war in 2002, have been accused by rights groups of atrocities during the fighting -- though the bulk of the abuses have been pinned on Gbagbo's FDS army.

United Nations report

The United Nations is said to have received reports of executions by FRCI soldiers since the fighting ended, and residents of Abidjan have said they are responsible for looting and racketeering.

The FRCI has since attempted to incorporate former FDS fighters into its ranks, though the government has also moved to demobilize some 10,000 gunmen by the end of this year.

Opinion on FRCI

"It is a good thing to change the name of the military. When you hear the name FRCI, it spells disorder and bedlam", said Abou Traore, who claimed he sells portable phones in Abidjan.

A civil servant, Patrice Koue also said: "I think it is good to change the name since the FRCI is currently synonymous with disorder and impunity. But they need to do more than just change the name. They need to change their behaviour."

REUTERS/Chiamaka/Ekata