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Ivory Coast ceasefire setback
YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast -- The signing of a ceasefire to bring a halt to two weeks of bloody violence in Ivory Coast has been postponed at the 11th hour. Armed rebels had been expected to sign the deal on Friday. Neither the rebels nor the government were happy with the draft text of the truce, and a meeting between rebel leaders and Ivory Coast's defence and foreign ministers was suspended on Friday to give the government time to study the text. The ceasefire was negotiated by a delegation representing Ghana, Togo, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Nigeria and Mali. Togo's Foreign Minister Koffi Panou told Reuters: "They haven't said they won't sign. They've asked for time to study the document. "They are wary and have objections about the ECOMOG (regional peacekeeping) force." The signing of the truce was scheduled for 4 p.m. (1600 GMT) in the administrative capital Yamoussoukro. Rebels in Bouake told reporters they objected to demands they lay down arms after signing the deal, adding that a column of government loyalists was heading to attack their stronghold. Tuo Fozie, the local rebel commander, said: "Every time they come here to propose a truce, we accept it but then the enemy takes advantage to advance towards us." Earlier, Fozie had said: "We want a stable Ivory Coast in which everybody is Ivorian and everybody is equal." President Laurent Gbagbo, who won power in a contested poll two years ago, had said he was ready to agree a ceasefire. CNN's Jeff Koinange said: "It's too early to tell what is going to happen because nobody expected them to agree to this ceasefire, nobody expected it to be so soon. "This is seen as a first step. For the rebels to agree to a ceasefire is a good thing. But a ceasefire only means you hold your position -- the rebels hold their position and the government holds its position. "So basically the country is split down the middle between north and south. But the negotiators say this is a good first step." The uprising began on September 19 after soldiers became angry over government plans to demobilise some troops. It was initially led by Robert Guei, who was responsible for Ivory Coast's first coup three years ago, but he was killed during the first hours. Hundreds have died and thousands have been displaced by the rebellion, exacerbating tensions in a country of 16 million people. The rebels have said if they gain power they will stage new elections after a short transition. As the crisis escalated, around 2,500 Western nationals were evacuated by French and U.S. troops. On Thursday, France sent more troops to Ivory Coast to stem the rebel advance. France says it is protecting remaining foreign nationals and providing logistical support to the Ivorian army. A pro-government rally took place on Wednesday in Abidjan, where thousands of young loyalists demonstrated their support for Gbagbo. (Full story)
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