ECOWAS sets up mediation group

Eleven days after an army uprising broke out in Cote d'Ivoire, the Economic Community of West Africa States set-up a six-member mediation group to try and bring back peace and security to the country. The group was set up at an ECOWAS summit convened by its current chairman, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Sunday. The meeting was attended by several heads of state and government, including Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo. ECOWAS condemned the uprising, which the Ivorian authorities say was a failed coup d'etat. The Community said it would not support regime change through toppling democratically-elected governments or using unconstitutional means. Mediation was seen as the regional body's first option towards restoring state authority, ECOWAS added. Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Mali, Nigeria and Togo are expected to "establish contact with the assailants, make them immediately cease hostilities, bring back calm in the occupied areas and negotiate a general framework for solving the crisis", according to an ECOWAS press statement. On 19 September, armed men launched simultaneous attacks on key security institutions in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire's economic capital, and on two other towns, Bouake and Korhogo. In Abidjan, they attacked the house of the Minister of the Interior and Decentralisation, Emile Boga Doudou, and the Minister of Defence and Civil Protection, Moise Lida Kouassi, in an uprising during which hundreds of people were killed or wounded. The dead included Doudou and former head of state General Robert Guei, who the government says was involved in the uprising. Although troops loyal to the government defeated the attackers in Abidjan, the towns of Bouake and Korhogo (350 and 634 km north of Abidjan, respectively) remained under the insurgents' control at the end of September. ECOWAS called on Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso to ensure good neighbourly relations, especially after this latest coup attempt worsened relations that had already turned sour over the last few months. Ivorian authorities implicated Burkina Faso in what it said was a failed coup attempt, the fourth one since December 1999. Burkinabe officials deny any involvement by Burkina Faso. If mediation fails, ECOWAS could deploy a peacekeeping force to contain the situation. Each member would be expected to contribute between 150 and 750 troops, according to Senegalese President Abdoualye Wade, quoted by the BBC. Western troops who had arrived in Cote d'Ivoire to assure the safety of their nationals evacuated foreign nationals from Korhogo over the weekend. About 300 foreigners were airlifted from the northern town. Last week, some 1,200 foreigners were evacuated from Bouake. The French government has agreed to provide logistical support to the Ivorian armed forces. While Abidjan was slowly getting back to normal on Monday, Bouake and Korhogo were reported to be "calm but tense". Water shortages have affected some neighborhoods in Bouake for several days, according to local sources. In all three towns, the prices of some basic foods, such as meat, have gone up. A curfew imposed on Abidjan on Sunday 22 September has been extended until 7 October. It is in effect from 20:00 GMT to 06:00 GMT. In Bouake and Korhogo, curfews run from 18:00 GMT to 06:00 GMT, local sources told IRIN. Meanwhile, the medical aid agency Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) reported on Monday that it was reinforcing its team and programmes in Cote d'Ivoire. An emergency team arrived last week in Abidjan and a surgical team was on stand-by, a press statement said. A cargo plane was also leaving on Monday to Abidjan from France carrying 10 tons of medical, surgical and logistical material, including blankets, tents and plastic sheeting, MSF said.