Bad Day to be an Ivorian PM

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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:37 am

Rocket hits African PM's plane

June 30, 2007 07:11am
Article from: Reuters

IVORY Coast's Prime Minister Guillaume Soro escaped unhurt when his plane was hit by a rocket after landing in his own rebel stronghold, but four others were killed.

Aftermath ... members of the New Forces movement view the damaged fuselage of Ivory Coast Prime Minister Guillaume Soro 's plane after it was hit by a rocket / AFP

Mr Soro, head of the New Forces rebels who seized the north of the West African country during the 2002-2003 civil war, became prime minister in April after signing a peace deal with President Laurent Gbagbo to guide the country to elections.

The New Forces said they arrested several people after the attack in Bouake, but did not say if they were members of the movement - which had arranged a lavish welcome for its leader with French and UN dignitaries and a brass band waiting to greet Mr Soro.

Three rockets were fired: one exploded inside the cabin, a second flew over the top of the plane and exploded nearby and a third bounced off the fuselage and failed to explode, said a UN staff member who saw the attack.

Gunshots were also fired.

"There was an explosion and it was panic. The plane had just landed and we waited until the plane came to a stop. We tried to calm people down until the plane stopped," a New Forces administrative assistant who was on board said.

"Those who fired must have been in the bush. I didn't see anyone. I don't know if anyone saw them," the assistant, who declined to be identified, said by phone from Bouake hospital, where he was being treated for an injury to his arm.

Allan Aliali, a journalist also travelling on the plane, told UN radio he had seen three bodies in the plane, but could not identify them.

Rebel spokesman Sidiki Konate said a fourth victim died later from his wounds.

Mr Soro was seen to arrive unharmed at the rebels' headquarters in Bouake, while several injured companions were treated at the city's hospital.

"Be assured, the most important thing for us is to advance in this peace process and nothing can stop us. This process cannot be assassinated," rebel spokesman Sidiki Konate told reporters in Bouake, after a ceremony to mark the official return of magistrates to the north under the peace deal.

Rebel reinforcements threw a security cordon around the headquarters and deployed troops at the airport and at road blocks across the city.

News of the attack pushed futures prices for cocoa - of which Ivory Coast is the world's top producer - to four-year highs in London and New York.

After years of stop-start peace efforts, a deal signed in March in Ouagadougou, capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso, has led to progress in dismantling a UN-policed military buffer zone cutting the country in two.

"It's too soon to know who was responsible, but clearly we're thinking about people in Soro's own movement who are not happy with the way things have turned out," Gilles Yabi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said.

"The agreement was a real step forward in the peace process, but it was still fragile because the (citizen) identification process had not yet begun ... and of course because of tensions in the rebel camp," he said.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Quote:

The New Forces said they arrested several people after the attack in

Quote:

Rebel reinforcements threw a security cordon around the headquarters and deployed troops at the airport and at road blocks across the city.

Damn, perfect timing, myself and adam12 have a lad travelling to airport today to collect his $$$ from my couriers Laughing

I expect the airport will be locked down and the lad wont be allowed near it, shame that Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

Are you sure that you didn't launch that rocket? Very Happy

*** BANNED *** Joined: 10 Jan 2004 Posts: 3779

Scam Patroller wrote:

Damn, perfect timing, myself and adam12 have a lad travelling to airport today to collect his $$$ from my couriers Laughing

Think about it. Mugu arrives near the airport. Road block. They ask him (a foreigner?) what he wants. He explains it. Nobody knows the courier company. Suspicions arise. Mugu finds himself in hell. New BBC report in a few days.
Laughing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6253484.stm

Quote:

Reinforcements have reportedly been rushed to Bouake airport and shooting was reported in the town.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

^^^^^

, the lad has sent what he says is his personal assistant to Bouake, hopefully, I will soon get an email saying they cannot reach the airport, then I can give him further special instructions, such as a passphrase to use at the airport, something like, tell him to ask an airport official called, and tell him the passphrase, which is, I have a rocket for Mr Soro Laughing

[edit]

Late this evening (about 11:30pm) I received an email from the lad who sent his assistant:

Quote:

Hello xxxxx xxxxx, Thank you and God bless you and your family. I just want to know if the Package as been release today because i have not had anything from Personal Assistant. I wait to hear from you. Bye

I have had similar emails to that many times before, asking if such and such has collected it yet, on those occasions, the lad had not travelled and was playing games in the hope of having the money sent to them, I hope this is not like that again Evil or Very Mad

, or we can just hope his assistant has been delayed in Ivory Coast due to the news item Very Happy

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