Thirty people were killed, including three police offiers, as security forces violently quashed an anti-government protest in Abidjan on Thursday, said one of the organisers, the opposition Rally of the Republicans.
The army had earlier said that six people, including two policemen, had been killed as security forces clashed with demonstrators, and witnesses in several districts of the city said about 12 people had been shot dead.
At 2pm local time, army spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Aka Ngoran said ”the situation is under control” and that ”defence and security forces were scrupulously monitoring the safety of people and property across the country but especially in Abidjan”.
The army had at dawn on Thursday cordoned off the city to prevent the anti-government protest from going ahead. — Sapa-AFP
The Rally of the Republicans said on Thursday it was pulling out of the unity government set up under a January 2003 peace pact, after the quashing of the demonstration.
The announcement came just minutes after former rebel groups said they were suspending their participation in the government.
”Following the barbaric repression of the peaceful march of signatories of the Marcoussis accord, the New Forces held an emergency meeting today [Thursday] and decided to suspend their participation in the national reconciliation government,” said a statement by the rebels, called New Forces since they signed the peace accord.
Early this month, another political party, the Ivory Coast Democratic Party, launched a boycott of the government, accusing Gbagbo of hoarding power and hampering the implementation of the peace pact hammered out in Marcoussis in January last year. — Sapa-AFP