Laurent Gbagbo to visit Séguéla, Vavoua on 14 July
Posted by africanpress on July 7, 2008
Cote d’Ivoire’s head of State, Laurent Gbagbo, has announced that he would travel to Seguéla and Vavoua, in the central-west of the country, on 14 July “to give his backing to Guillaume Soro.”
He made the statement Saturday after return from Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt, where he took part in the sessions of the African Union summit.
Hailing General Soumaïla Bakayoko, Chief of Staff of New Forces (former rebellion), Laurent Gbagbo further warned Ivorians against trouble-shooting.
“One who is not willing to disarm is off the Republic. Our troops were stationed everywhere in the fighting lines to foil this unexpected crisis”, Mr Gbagbo said adding that he would “go and talk to the populations of Seguéla and Vavoua.”
“I hail the Prime Minister and General Soumaïla Bakayoko for handling the crisis which is not a security matter, but has to do with stages leading an exit out of the crisis”, he said.
According to him, the New Forces’ authorities have taken daring measures by gathering some of the insurgents in Kani in the northern-west and others Korhogo in the northern country to automatically disarm them.
The Ivorian head of state also congratulated General Philippe Mangou, Ivorian Army and Chief of the Security and Defence Staff (FDS, loyalists) and his team.
Some soldiers from the former Ivorian rebellion New Force attacked on 28 June their command in Séguéla, an area located at 516 kilometres in the central-west of Cote d’Ivoire.
The insurgents were soldiers close to former war leader Zacharia Koné, who was sucked in May over indiscipline by the New Forces military hierarchy.
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API/APA
