Yopougon/ UNOCI
- FRCI altercation: three (3) FRCI arrested and disarmed.

Le Nouveau Courrier –
Three FRCI were
arrested yesterday at Yopougon Sideci and five of them fled when they came
across a UNOCI patrol. The FRCI elements were equipped with war weapons used to
create illegal checkpoints to get money from drivers. As UNOCI forces were
patrolling in this zone they encountered them and asked them which army
battalion they were from. As the FRCI were unable to give appropriate answers to
UNOCI forces, they were asked to give up their weapons. The FRCI soldiers
refused. It followed an altercation between FRCI and UNOCI forces.


Three
FRCI were
disarmed and forcibly taken to the
staff.  Five
elements ran away with of
course the weapons and ammunition in their possession.
The 48-hour ultimatum
expired long ago
and "undesirable" FRCI
continue to "haunt"
the streets of
Abidjan and Ivorian cities
at the cost of people's life.

Clashes between
FRCI and young people of Sikensi: Four people died and thirteen other were
wounded.

Fraternité Matin
–
An
altercation between a soldier of the Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire and a
young man led to a huge conflict between FRCI and inhabitants of Sikensi with
four dead and thirteen wounded this week end. The conflict started when in a bar
a young man called Guy Bébé from Sikensi argued with an FRCI about a young lady.
The FRCI hit Mr. Guy with a bottle and wounded him. His friends to

express their anger erected roadblocks. This situation worsened,
when the protesters started to march towards the FRCI headquarters. Among these
protesters, according to police sources, two were killed and 13 wounded by
gunshot and machetes. Some were treated at a clinic in Sikensi, while others
were evacuated to Abidjan. Two elements of the FRCI also died. An inter-ethnic
clashes also broke out between Abidji and Malinké, when young people of
Dioulabougou removed the barricade near their homes. The protesters saw this as
a provocation. Local authorities, the gendarmerie, local police and UN police
put an end to these hostilities. FRCI were invited to leave the city after the
visit of the Minister of defense, Paul Koffi Koffi.

Soro to the
gendarmes: "We cannot accept the mistakes of the first few days"

Fraternité
Matin
- Six months after the establishment of the government, Ivorians have the right
to notice and feel a significant improvement in their security. We can no longer
accept the errors of the first few days." This is the basic message the Prime
Minister, Defence Minister, Guillaume Soro, sent the police on December 24. That
day, Guillaume Soro met with the commander, commanders of legions, and the head
of the schools gendarmerie and the special units of the gendarmerie. After the
meeting, the Prime Minister announced a big tour across the country "to speak to
the troops" and the organization of meetings between "the police, the military
and the people to explain their mission". He stressed his commitment to
implement the decisions of the President of the Republic to get impostors out of
the FRCI. Guillaume Soro assured the Ivorian people that steps have been taken
to enable them to spend the holidays in peace. "I can confirm that you can go
and celebrate, if you want, 24/7. There is no problem. The police have set up an
operation called "Operation Spider". If you are within the spider, nothing can
happen to you," he said.

Tracking down
dishonest FRCI - The head of Wattao's security and a gendarme arrested

Notre Voie
- (...) According to a press release, a copy of which reached us yesterday, the
chief of Wattao' security, Dramane Coulibaly alias Colonel Gas and a gendarme
were arrested this weekend.

117 complaints
on Wodié's desk

Nord Sud -117
requests were received by the Constitutional Council, chaired by Francis Wodié
after the parliamentary elections. They come from seventy (70) districts,
according to an official of the institution. After the last release of the
Constitutional Council, many unsuccessful candidates complete their files.
Indeed, Wodié's institution asked them to provide proof of their accusations.

Independent
Electoral Commission- the RHDP wants a debate.

Nord Sud
- The Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) wants a debate on
the composition of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Maurice Kacou
Guikahue said "that for the composition of the IEC, it was said that the IEC in
its composition should go to the end of the election, according to the
agreements signed for the end of the crisis. Politics is the art of compromise
and dialogue must be permanent in politics" he recently said to ONUCI-FM. He
proposed that the President opened a debate on that matter.

Imprisoned for
several months, General Guiai Bi Poin will be heard today.

Notre Voie –
Imprisoned at MACA, General Guiai Bi Poin will be heard today by Ms. Cissé
Makouéni, the head of the investigating judges in Abidjan court. The former head
of the National School of Gendarmerie and the former CECOS was arrested
following information according to which mass graves were discovered at the
gendarmerie school. The investigations revealed that the information was wrong.
As he was expecting to be free, the power found another charge against him.