Rebels travel to regional capitals to gain support

Cote d'Ivoire's main rebel movement, the Patriotic Movement of Cote d'Ivoire (MPCI), is on a regional tour to gain support for its cause ahead of a France-Africa summit which, sources say, would be dominated by the Ivorian crisis.

A small MPCI delegation travelled on Monday to Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Faso, for meetings with the respective heads of state. Stopovers have been planned tentatively for Benin, Mali and Senegal by the rebels, who now want to be referred to as 'Forces Nouvelles' (New Forces). They hope to gain regional support and to get West African heads of state to press Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo to implement the Paris Agreement.

The MPCI's Secretary-General, Guillaume Soro, told reporters in the Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou, that the group was now pursuing diplomatic avenues to find a negotiated solution to the Ivorian crisis and that it would continue to travel the region in search of peace and reconciliation in Cote d'Ivoire, which has been in the throes of an insurrection since 19 September.

Late last week, the MPCI had warned that if, by Sunday, a new government had not been formed, it would descend on Abidjan. Although no new government was announced, the rebels did not deliver on their ultimatum. On Monday they said they would await the outcome of the France-Afrique Summit, scheduled in Paris from Wednesday to Friday, before taking any further decisions.

It was still unclear when the new government would be announced as the new prime minister, Seydou Diarra, left Abidjan for Paris on Tuesday. Gbagbo has said that he will not attend this year's summit.

In a related development, the alliance of "Young Patriots", the organisation that has staged a string of street protests since 24 January, has announced that it would stage a week-long sit-in starting on Wednesday in front of the French military base, located near the international airport in Abidjan, to protest against France's role in the crisis.

The French community, including French-owned businesses and schools, have born the brunt of the Paris government's involvement in efforts to resolve the crisis. In the days after the Paris meeting, schools and businesses were ransacked by pro-government protesters who accused France of betraying its former colony.

France currently has some 3,000 soldiers across the country mandated to ensure the protection of French citizens and the respect of the ceasefire signed in October.

Another sign of the deterioration in security in the country is the reaction of the African Development Bank, which has been headquartered in Abidjan since 1963. The ADB has evacuated its staff from Abidjan and intends to relocate them in Tunis, Tunisia. Staff members were ordered to leave Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday at the latest.