More vandalism as newspaper distributors count cost of distribution ban

Acts of vandalism continued against opposition parties in Cote d'Ivoire on Monday morning, while newspaper distributors counted the cost of last week’s ban on the distribution of titles. Edipresse, the company which has a monopoly on newspaper distribution in Cote d'Ivoire, confirmed a loss of CFA 40 million (US $73,000) as a result of distribution being halted on Friday. Newspaper sellers stopped work on Friday after a series of violent incidents in the economic capital, Abidjan. According to Edipresse, some 17 daily papers were targeted, not counting weeklies. Ivorian papers have a circulation of between 7,000 and 26,000, the rates kept down by the high prices of papers, often CFA 200 (around 35 cents). The campaign against newspaper distribution was widely blamed on the "Young Patriots", hardline supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo who have expressed strong opposition to the implementation of the Marcoussis accords brokered by France. But contacted by IRIN, the Young Patriots said they had never called for a campaign against the opposition press. Edipress said there had been fresh attacks on Monday, with papers including Le Patriote and 24 Heures targeted by groups of youths in upmarket districts of Abidjan like Riviera II and Riviera Golf. According to the director of an independent newspaper, who declined to give his name, the ripping up of newspapers was accompanied by threats of violence against newspaper premises. Newspaper directors and Edipress representatives met ministers at a specially convened meeting on Friday to discuss the newspaper problem. But an expected communiqué from the ministry of defence did not appear. Newspaper offices contacted by IRIN said the rights of the readership had been scorned. Fraternité Matin, the oldest state-owned daily in West Africa, said it had lost CFA Five million ($9,000) since Friday, leaving aside losses in advertising revenue and other areas. The director of Le Patriote said the paper had lost CFA Three million ($5,500) from Friday’s incidents. The attacks in Abidjan had been preceded by other episodes. Copies of 24 Heures were recently ripped up while on sale in the port city, San Pedro. Despite the recent difficulties, the Commercial Director of Edipresse, Roussel Lore, said he hoped the problems were over. "I am optimistic for the days ahead because this is just a fleeting moment in the Ivorian crisis".