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Tensions explode in I Coast
18/09/2003 20:40 - (SA)
Ivory Coast - Violent tensions exploded in Ivory Coast's commercial capital on Thursday, with at least one person killed and several injured as security forces broke up a window-breaking rampage by protesters.
A nine-month civil war in Ivory Coast was declared over in July, but the nation remains divided. War-related protests in Abidjan, a regional economic hub that sits on an Atlantic Ocean lagoon, have been common over the past year.
A military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said an investigation was under way to determine how the protester died.
A funeral home worker, who also refused to give his name, said he was treating the body of the dead protester and that he had been shot.
Hospital workers told The Associated Press they were treating several people injured by bullets, but could not specify whether the bullets were made of rubber or lead.
The military official said he was aware only of the use of tear gas by security forces.
Office workers in Abidjan's downtown, contacted by telephone from the city's suburbs, said demonstrators blocked traffic and smashed windows of cars and buildings.
The witnesses said they saw tear gas used, and said they heard gunshots fired as well.
There were conflicting accounts as to what triggered the rampage.
Some in downtown Abidjan said the trouble began when students from the northern half of the country - upset over the closure of schools there due to the civil war - marched on government buildings to demand money they say the government promised them as compensation for missing the school year.
Similar student riots erupted in Abidjan in July.
There was unrest in other parts of the city on Thursday as well, though it was unclear if the events were related.
Protesters set up roadblocks and threatened drivers on the outskirts of Abidjan, forcing motorists to find other routes through town.
Downtown Abidjan - home to high-rises, shops, businesses and the US Embassy - and other parts of the city were reported calm again by early afternoon.
Ivory Coast is approaching Friday's anniversary of a September 19 2002 coup attempt that touched off the civil war. While the war officially was declared over in July, Ivory Coast remains divided between rebel north and government south, with tensions running high.
Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa producer and an economic anchor for West Africa. Until a 1999 coup, it was one of Africa's most stable countries.
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