L'Inter:

UNOCI has granted financial assistance worth CFA 15 million francs (30,000 USD)

to ex-combatants in Korhogo who were selected for the commercial tricycle

project organised by the national Authority for Disarmament, Demobilisation and

Reintegration (ADDR). Some 399 ex-combatants will receive CFA 40,000 francs (80

USD) each to enable them launch their transport business.

Le

Mandat:

The adoption of bills related to Ivorian nationality and land ownership is said

to be surrounded by controversy. Disagreement among parliamentarians of the

ruling RHDP coalition centres around the question whether the acquisition of

Ivorian nationality gives automatic right to land ownership, while some

detractors of the bill authorising the Head of State to ratify international

conventions on the status of stateless persons argue that there are no stateless

persons in Cote d'Ivoire. Another controversy centres on the exact number of

stateless persons. While some talk of 400,000 persons, others put the number at

3 million. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, puts the figure at 950,000.

L'Inter:

The

race for the presidency of the Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI) is on.

With 40 days to go for the 12th Congress of the party, four candidates have so

far declared their candidacies including the incumbent, Henri Konan Bedie, PDCI

Secretary-General Djedje Mady. PDCI youth wing president Kouadio Konan Bertin-

KKB and Yao Kouassi.

L'Inter:

The

federation of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), has called for a general amnesty

for other political prisoners and soldiers in detention charged with the same

crimes as the 12 close collaborators of former president Laurent Gbagbo who were

recently released on bail. An FPI general assembly on 10 August called on the

Head of State Alassaane Ouattara to emulate his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo who

granted amnesty to rebels following the 2002 political/military crisis.

L'Inter also observes that after granting bail to 12 collaborators of

former president Gbagbo, the FPI is under pressure to take part in political

dialogue with the government. The former ruling FPI had previously used the

detention of its leaders as a pretext for boycotting talks with the government.

Le

Patriote:

Some 200 exiles from Ghana and Togo have pledged to be ambassadors of peace and

reconciliation in Cote d'Ivoire. They made the commitment yesterday at the

Yopougon HQ of the Coalition of young patriots for peace. The exiles declared

the time for divisiveness, belligerence and war was over, saying it was now time

for Ivorians to adopt the dynamic for peace and national reconciliation.

Arc en Ciel:

Urban transporters in Abidjan, particularly taxis operating taxi-meters are

planning to go on a 5-day strike on Monday 26 August to protest against the non

respect of a protocol agreement by the Minister of Transport requiring other

inter-communal transporters to obtain the same administrative documents as the

taxi-meter taxis. The documents include vehicle registration documents, business

license, and authorisation to transport.