Rebel leader's death causes some uncertainty

As rebel sources confirmed the death of the leader of one of Cote d'Ivoire's three insurgent groups, the search was on in many minds for the answers to two major questions: why was he killed? what are the implications of his death for peace in the West African country? Felix Doh, leader of the the Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West (MPIGO), died in western Cote d'Ivoire after being kidnapped by armed elements who had earlier fought alongside his group, rebel leader Ousmane Coulibaly told IRIN on Tuesday. "I am on the ground and that is what happened", Coulibaly said, adding that any other version of Doh's death was untrue. The MPIGO leader's death was announced on Monday by numerous news organisations and by the oldest, most influential of Cote d'Ivoire three rebel groups, the Patriotic Movement of Cote d'Ivoire. The French news agency, Agence France-Presse, quoted an MPCI source as saying that Doh's death had been a revenge killing. There had also been reports that Sam Bockarie, a former Revolutionary United Front (RUF) commander in Sierra Leone, had led the unit that kidnapped and killed Doh. The motives and implications of the death were burning questions on Tuesday among UN officials, international donors and civil society representatives who attended the launch of an international appeal for funds to finance humanitarian projects in Cote d'Ivoire and its five neighbours. These countries have been affected in varying degrees by the Ivorian crisis, which started on 19 September 2002 with an insurrection that developed into a rebellion. Opinions and analyses diverged but generally fell in one of two categories: either Doh's death would aggravate the already dramatic situation or it would have no impact. However, most hoped that the death of Doh, MPIGO's most visible leader, would not derail efforts to restore peace. The MPIGO surfaced in late November 2002, along with the Mouvement pour la Justice etla Paix. It announced that its aim was to avenge the death of ex-head of state General Robert Guei, a westerner who was killed in the early hours of the insurrection. As a result of successive agreements, all three movements hold cabinet portofolios in the current government headed by Prime Minister Seydou Diarra. The UN Security Council was slated to hold discussions on Cote d'Ivoire in response to a request by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). News organisations reported that an ECOWAS delegation comprising the foreign ministers of Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Niger and Senegal was expected to brief the Council on the latest developments. In other news, Cote d'Ivoire's National Security Council, which was created to designate the holders of the security and interior portfolios, met on Monday but failed to reach agreement. The two posts are held 'ad interim' by the ruling FPI and the opposition RDR.