Abidjan calm after Ivorian junta members sacked

Pedestrians in downtown Abidjan, Ivory Coast, walk past a billboard that reads, "Robert Guei, thank you for having said yes to our new Constitution"

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (Reuters) -- Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan, was calm on Saturday after two top members of the ruling army junta were dismissed overnight in what one newspaper called a crisis of confidence in the leadership.

State television announced late on Friday that Security Minister General Lassana Palenfo and Transport Minister General Abdoulaye Coulibaly, ranked only behind army ruler General Robert Guei, had lost their jobs.

Palenfo's press secretary, Sansan Georges Kambou, confirmed that Palenfo had been sacked by Guei.

Asked if Palenfo remained a member of the National Public Salvation Committee, the junta now ruling the world's top cocoa producer, Kambou told Reuters: "Nothing has been said about that, but I'd be very surprised."

Although an official statement spoke only of "a technical reshuffle," the independent daily Soir Info suggested it went much further than that.

"This technical reshuffle signals the crisis of confidence that is shaking the supreme organ of the military junta in power," it said.

A heavy military presence was reported outside Palenfo's house in Abidjan late on Friday, but security forces were not in evidence on Saturday morning and people at the house said Palenfo had left for a meeting.

His children had gone to school as normal, they added.

Move aimed at Guei's rival?

Both Palenfo and Coulibaly are seen as close to former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara, who is running against Guei in a presidential election scheduled for October 22.

Palenfo's house was searched by security forces on Wednesday following an attack on Monday on Guei's private residence that officials described as an assassination attempt.

Palenfo, who is head of Ivory Coast's Olympic committee, was in Sydney for the Olympic Games at the time. He cut short his visit and returned to Abidjan on Thursday.

At least 14 soldiers have been arrested in connection with Monday's attack. They include members of Guei's presidential guard, many of them believed to be Ouattara supporters.

Justice Minister N'Gatta Essy, a lawyer who has acted for Ouattara in the past, also lost his job, reinforcing the impression that the reshuffle was aimed at removing Ouattara's remaining sympathizers inside the government.

He was replaced by another junta member, Colonel Konan Yao Pascal.

Palenfo's security portfolio has been given to Assaud Akawa Augustin, a general in the gendarmerie, increasingly seen as the arm of the military that is most loyal to Guei.

General Mathias Doue, the number four in the junta, gets the Transport Ministry and is ranked third in the government after Guei and civilian Prime Minister Seydou Diarra.

Mamadou Koulibaly remains minister of economy and finance but Guei has created a new post of junior minister in charge of finance, which is filled by Yao Kouame Yves, currently head of Diarra's office.

Koulibaly, a respected economist, has been fighting to control off-budget spending by Guei and some of his ministers, financial and diplomatic sources said.

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