United Nations'
report on events of February 2010

Mangou: "These
are just mere allegations aimed at discrediting the loyalist army"

Soir Info  –

The Army General, Philippe Mangou, expressed his opinion on the
recent report published by the United Nations (UN) on the events of February
2010 in Côte d'Ivoire. "These are just mere allegations aimed at discrediting
the loyalist army whose duties attach importance to divine respect for the human
being", he said on Saturday 28 August 2010, on the occasion of the official
launch of a soldiers' association in Attobrou (Amichia) in Agboville. [...]
Speaking on the regrouping and cantonment of the elements of the Forces
Nouvelles (FN) and the FDS, he congratulated the successful implementation of
the operation which marks the return of soldiers in barracks. He then said that
with this return, all is  ready at last to provide effective security for the
forthcoming general elections  [...]

Arrogance, angry
at the reproach made by a taxi driver, UNOCI officer bumps his vehicle

Le Quotidien  –

Edwin Magloire, a Haitian army officer serving in the UN Forces
in Côte d'Ivoire does not deserve belonging to this international peacekeeping
force. He behaved very poorly on the night of Wednesday 25 August in Attoban (...)
According to some sources, on that night, the UNOCI officer on board his
diplomatic vehicle 474 IT 49 crashed into a municipal taxi, driven by Kouadio
Amoa Hyacinthe (...) The Haitian soldier pulled off the rear-view mirror of the
taxi near Pharmacy Saint Bernard (...) and did not stop to apologize. Kouadio
could not stomach it. He therefore chased the UNOCI officer to his neighborhood
in Riviera Bonoumin to complain and admonish him. The Haitian did not appreciate
this attitude "how can a small taxi driver dare talk to me, an UNOCI's soldier
covered by diplomatic immunity, this way!" he said. To show his importance to
the "useless taxi driver", Edwin Magloire got into his car and drove into the
taxi and properly wrecked it (...). The victim rushed to the police station of the
30^th district. The diplomatic police and UNOCI leadership were
immediately informed. In a few minutes, one leader of the security office
(ABAS), a captain of the gendarmerie and Captain Gbane of the 30^th
district were also informed (...). After discussion, the Haitian officer promised
to repair the damaged vehicle. It seems that this is not the first time Edwin
Magloire is behaving this way and he is apparently well known by the Ivorian
police for his arrogance.

Crisis-resolution – Facilitator Blaise Compaoré to the Ivorian political actors
"Respect electoral code"

Le Nouveau
Réveil  –
On the occasion of a working visit to Abidjan on 22 February 2010, His
Excellency Mr. Blaise Compaoré, President of the Burkina Faso, Facilitator of
the inter-Ivorian direct dialogue, held talks with the Ivorian parties and the
international community on the need to preserve the past achievements in the
electoral process and continue the process until its completion with the
organization of open, free and transparent elections in Côte d'Ivoire. [...] The
Facilitator congratulated the mobilization of Ivorian actors as well as the
population which resulted in significant achievements in the process namely, the
consolidation of the provisional electoral list with 5.7 million potential
voters. The Facilitator welcomed the resumption and completion of the appeals
process on the provisional voters list, which is the last phase before the
production of the definitive voters list in the coming days. He however regrets
the incidents that occurred during this period in some localities throughout the
country and calls on all the involved parties to respect the electoral code and
the subsequent procedures. [...] The Facilitator reiterates his availability and
commitment to continue to search, in concert with all the political actors, the
appropriate solutions for a peaceful crisis-resolution, through the organization
of free and transparent elections on 31 October 2010. At last, the Facilitator
calls on the population and the whole Ivorian political class to show serenity
and restraint in order to successfully execute the tasks envisaged in the IEC's
electoral timetable.

Before the
presidential election on 31 October – a political earthquake scheduled for
September

Le Nouveau
Réveil  – [...]
According to diplomatic sources,  Head of State Laurent Gbagbo is not willing to
go to elections with the present IEC and Government. [...] After bribing the army
which has witnessed a shower of promotions, the Head of State is going to
dissolve one more time the Government and the IEC. A new government will be
appointed, without the political parties, to organize elections within 45 days.
The role of the FDS [Defence and Security Forces] will be decisive in the
implementation of this plan. This is why, to prepare people for this plan, he
told the military leadership that "If I fall, you also fall" to the military
leadership. He secretly negotiates with UNOCI for a partial lifting of the
embargo on arms. During a visit in Divo where he decided to install a CRS unit,
Gbagbo gave the watchword "suppress all those who might try to cause trouble!"
[...] The truth is that the election Gbagbo is talking about is not what the
population is expecting. Things will not happen as expected. The use of force
should be expected.

Presidential
election on 31 October – The ex-militiamen in Toulepleu pledge their allegiance
to ADO

L'Expression  –

After fighting with the loyalist forces at the beginning of the
rebellion, young ex-combatants belonging to the militias in the West have
decided to be fully involved in the upcoming electoral consultations. Grouped
under the Union of Young Patriots for ADO's victory (UJPV-ADO), the
ex-militiamen, all natives of the Toulepleu district, decided to ally with
presidential candidate Alassane Dramane Ouattara (ADO). Congratulating them for
their courage and foresight, Anne Ouloto (principal spokesperson for ADO)
particularly condemned the visit of some natives of the Moyen Cavally region to
the Head of State in his village in Mama. "[...] Today I find it hard to believe
that people can get on a bus to go and pledge their allegiance to someone who
yesterday said that we were Liberians. [...]" On his part, Zasso Patrick, formerly
orator for agoras and parliaments [student activist groups] said that candidate
ADO was not involved in rebellion and  added that "if the war broke out it was
because of Laurent Gbagbo".

Election on 31
October 2010 / Francis Wodié chairman of the FER-CI raises his voice: "If they
joke, we will fight against them"

L'Intelligent
d'Abidjan
 The Front for Rapid Elections in Côte d'Ivoire (FER-CI) is a
movement grouping the Parti Ivoirien des Travailleurs of Francis Wodié, the
Union for Côte d'Ivoire of Gnamien Konan as well as the movement "Oble is my
hope" of Jacqueline Oble. The three leaders said that not a single postponement
of the date of 31 August 2010 is negotiable. [...]