The people of Côte d’Ivoire woke up to an uncertain future on Sunday, the day that was to have marked the end of President Laurent Gbagbo’s five-year mandate.
Gbagbo has said he will remain in office until elections are held, a process the international community wants within 12 months, as well as the disarmament of rebels and pro-government militias.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Saturday urged rival Ivorian parties to respect UN-backed political transition arrangements set up by the African Union and to refrain from any action that might create tensions.
Last week, the UN Security Council endorsed a decision by the AU to keep Gbagbo in his post for 12 months after the aborted October 30 election date, giving the country another year to wrap up a long-overdue disarmament campaign and implement a host of political reforms.
Annan noted in a statement that because of the tragic loss of his wife, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current AU chairperson, has not been able to travel to Ivory Coast to consult with the parties on transitional arrangements.
”In the meantime, I call on all the Ivorian parties and their followers to refrain from any actions that might create tensions and to remain committed to the ongoing process aimed at restoring lasting peace and stability to their country,” Annan said.
The Economic Community of West African States also urged political parties in Côte d’Ivoire to abide by the AU and UN resolutions.
On Tuesday, Côte d’Ivoire’s northern rebels rejected the extension of Gbagbo’s mandate.
Split between rebel north and loyalist south since a failed coup sparked months of civil war in September 2002, Côte d’Ivoire — the world’s top cocoa producer — remains riven by political tensions that threaten to explode after the October 30 deadline.
A new transitional prime minister is due to be chosen by Monday, under orders endorsed by the AU and the UN.
A meeting of mediators — including presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Obasanjo — is due to make that choice but, so far, and with time running out, neither the date nor the time has been confirmed.
Rights group Amnesty International issued a report last week warning that, without swift agreement on a new power structure, ”the tensions which already exist will spill over into renewed hostilities, leading in turn to a humanitarian crisis and serious rights abuses”.
However, most observers were expecting a normal day on Sunday, while not ruling out the possibility of violence breaking out.
Government and opposition supporters have ratcheted up the tension in recent days, each accusing the other of preparing violent acts for Sunday, with a partisan press adding to the volatile atmosphere.
One focus of attention was a stadium in southern Abidjan where a youth branch of the opposition organised a rally for Sunday after withdrawing an appeal to ”chase Gbagbo from power”. Other opposition strongholds in the city could also prove a magnet for militants.
The streets were peaceful on Saturday with people going about their daily business.
Gbagbo warned last week that he would ”not allow chaos to prosper in Côte d’Ivoire” and cited the prevailing ban on street protests in Abidjan.
Army chief General Philippe Mangou warned that no ”action which endangers the efforts of the international community to restore peace and stability” would be tolerated.
Côte d’Ivoire’s opposition and rebel ministers boycotted the weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, arguing that Gbagbo’s five-year term had come to an end. — Sapa-AFP