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| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| Ivory Coast foes sign total ceasefire to end war |
| 2003-05-03 |
| Ivory Coast's army and rebels signed a total ceasefire covering all fronts on Saturday with promises that it would bring an end to more than seven months of war that have torn apart the West African country. More limited truces have been signed before, but bloody clashes have continued in the west of the world's top cocoa producer and threatened to ruin a peace deal. Troops from former colonial power France said that once it was clear the sweeping ceasefire was holding they were prepared to move quickly into the chaotic west, where fighting is entangled with years of savage war in neighbouring Liberia. Ivory Coast's army chief General Mathias Doue and rebel Colonel Michel Gueu, sports minister in a coalition government set up under a January peace deal, signed the ceasefire that takes effect from midnight (0000 GMT) on Sunday. "It is a historic day because I think it will mean the end of the war across the whole of Ivory Coast," Gueu told Reuters after smiles and back-slapping with high-ranking former enemies in gold-braided uniforms. "There may be incidents here and there, but we can say that with today's agreement we are coming to the end of the war," acting defence minister Assoua Adou told Reuters. Although there were no immediate reports of fighting in the west on Saturday, the situation remains extremely tense. Clashes there involve not only rebels and soldiers, but Liberian fighters and mercenaries on both sides. Since the main MPCI rebel faction began to expel Liberian fighters allied to two other rebel groups late last month, there are signs it is becoming the overwhelmingly dominant force in western rebel-held areas as well as the Muslim north. A commander from the MJP faction, who earlier in the week said he would have nothing to do with the latest ceasefire, declined to comment. The next step, agreed with the Ivorian forces as well as Liberia's embattled government, is for French and West African peacekeepers to move into the West. Between 600 and 900 French troops could be deployed there. "We are ready to move very quickly once we have the sign," said General Emmanuel Beth, overall commander of a French mission nearly 4,000-strong that is helping restore peace to what was once a jewel of France's former empire. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |