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« Nigeria acts on police sex abuse | Main | Nigeria regains more Abacha cash »

September 28, 2005

Ivory Coast's leader snubs summit

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo will not go to a regional summit on Ivory Coast to be held in Nigeria on Friday.

By James Copnall
BBC News, Abidjan

The talks are a fresh attempt to find a solution to the three-year old Ivorian crisis but South Africa's role as the mediator is coming under scrutiny.

South Africa says Mr Gbagbo has done everything asked of him, in contrast to the armed and unarmed opposition.

The New Forces rebels, who seized the north of the country in September 2002, are refusing to work with South Africa.

Row

Mr Gbagbo's spokesman did not explain why Mr Gbagbo would not show his face in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, but the reasons are not hard to guess.

The summit has been called, on the wishes of President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and it is possible that South Africa, the current mediator, will be asked to withdraw from the role, or at least take a back seat.


The Ivorian head of state has - unsurprisingly - expressed his full support for President Thabo Mbeki's mediation.

He also said last week that he would reject any mediation in Ivory Coast's problems by the West African regional body, Ecowas.

Mr Gbagbo accused Ecowas countries of interfering in the Ivorian crisis.

This was a reference to Mali and Burkina Faso, who the presidential camp accuses of supporting the New Forces rebels.

If Ecowas takes a more active role in mediating in Ivory Coast, it is likely to be to Mr Gbagbo's disadvantage.

It remains to be seen if Mr Gbagbo will also boycott the African Union security council meeting on Ivory Coast, which will be held on 6 October.

Another unknown is the effect Mr Gbagbo's no-show will have on the way he is viewed in the sub-region.

Back in Ivory Coast, Mr Gbagbo's image has been poor in the eyes of many, starting with the opposition.

On Monday, the opposition Le Patriote newspaper printed an unflattering photo of him with his tongue hanging out.

The National Press Council reacted by condemning this photo, which lacked respect according to the regulatory body.

The National Press Council also banned any future photos of Mr Gbagbo - or other prominent personalities - which show them in an unflattering light.

Posted by Publisher at September 28, 2005 01:46 PM

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