Detained fighters escape from detention, says French military

A small group of alleged pro-government fighters, who had been in custody of French troops in western Cote d'Ivoire, escaped from detention during an anti-French rally by 5,000 to 6,000 members of the 'Young Patriot' movement in the western town of Daloa, the office of the French military contingent said on Wednesday. [The Young Patriots' are a pro-government pressure group.] The French military command said "the irresponsable acts in Daloa led to the escape of some of the detained". The statement said those who fled were Liberians, but it gave no numbers. The French military command also said it was irresponsible for "professional agitators" to manipulate "worried populations" by inciting them to violence and hateful acts and by pitting them against the French and other international peacekeeping troops in the country. According to the pro-government daily, Fraternite-Matin, the men, numbering 14, were released by the French troops after hours of negotiations between the leader of the youth movement, Charles Ble Goude, and the French operation in Daloa, 406 km west of Abidjan. The fighters were arrested in early March. At the time, it was reported that they were part of a militia made of Liberian nationals that had been fighting for the goverment against rebel forces in western Cote d'Ivoire. The government had denied the reports. The 'Young Patriot' movement, which has staged most of the pro-government demonstrations in Abidjan and other government-controlled towns in recent months, had also said that those arrested were not mercenaries but Ivorians and Liberians fed up with seeing their relatives murdered in the fighting, which has been raging for four months. On Monday, Ble Goude - who is also a former student leader - had held a press conference to annnounce that the youths would travel to Daloa to free those detained. In their Thursday editions, national media held opposing views on the event. While pro-government papers said the men were "released", opposition papers said they escaped. Lt-Col Phillippe Perret, who heads the French force here, told IRIN on Thursday that he had informed the office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire of the matter. On the political front, two ministers have been appointed interim heads of the ministries of defence and security. The defence ministry is to be headed by Assoa Adou of the ruling Front Populaire Ivoirien, while Fofana Zemogo of the opposition RDR has been assigned the security portfolio.