Cote d'Ivoire extends nationwide curfew again

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, October 09, 2002

Cote d'Ivoire extends nationwide curfew again

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The government of Cote d'Ivoire on Tuesday extended an ongoing curfew again until Oct. 21 as the conflict between the government troops and the rebel forces entered its 20th day, state television reported.

The government started imposing a nationwide curfew on Sept. 19when the disgruntled soldiers staged a revolt in three main citiesof the country, namely Abidjan, Bouake and Korhogo.

The curfew, which had been extended by a week until Oct. 7, will now be imposed from 10:00 p.m. (2200 GMT), two hours later than before, to 6:00 a.m. (0600 GMT) as before, the report said.

In the second largest city of Bouake and northern city of Korhogo, both of which are in rebel hand, the curfew will remain 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.

Heavy fighting broke out on Tuesday in the rebel strong hold ofBouake as the government forces entered an eastern suburb of the strategic central city but returned to the outskirts after pickingup some men and vehicles, witnesses said.

The government troops were forced to retreat to the outskirts of the city on Monday afternoon after heavy fighting with rebels of the Patriotic Movement of Cote d'Ivoire.

A spokesman for the rebels said on Tuesday that they had been ready to launch an offensive in Bouake after the deployment of rebel reinforcements completed.

Defense Minister Moise Lida Kouassi announced on radio on Monday evening that the army would capture Bouake on Tuesday.

The rebels have been vowing to overthrow the government of President Laurent Gbagbo and create a temporary transitional government before holding fresh elections in which all political parties would be allowed to participate.

The rebels themselves are said to be well armed with sophisticated weapons loyalist government troops do not have.

The government forces launched a large-scale offensive in Bouake and other rebel strongholds on Sunday after west African mediators failed to make the government and the rebel soldiers sign a ceasefire deal.

The rebel soldiers, who said they are holding about half of thecountry's territory, have extended their control in the north by holding a string of towns in the center, north and west.

The rebels gained ground late Monday by seizing another centraltown of Vavoua after engaging in fierce battles with the government troops.

Vavoua is nearly 60 km north of Daloa, one of the cocoa industry's main centers

The uprising has plunged the world's largest cocoa-producing country into its worst crisis since its independence from France in 1960 and has claimed hundreds of lives and injured thousands ofpeople.

The outbreak of violent rebellion in the once-peaceful west African country has brought huge threat to economic revival and political integration in the African continent.

Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema late Monday called on Gbagbo to sign a ceasefire the rebels had agreed to sign and said a military solution was impossible.

France, the west African country's former colonial ruler, earlyMonday also urged the Cote d'Ivoire government to sign a ceasefire,saying that it was worried by the situation in the troubled country.

The government of Cote d'Ivoire said it does not want a ceasefire that would give legitimacy to the rebel group, and demanded the rebels disarmed first.

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