COTE D'IVOIRE: PRIME MINISTER FORMS A NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABIDJAN 001050 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO ASEC IV SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: PRIME MINISTER FORMS A NEW GOVERNMENT WITH FEW CHANGES REF: ABIDJAN 997 ABIDJAN 00001050 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Poloff Phaedra Gwyn for reasons 1.4 b&d ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Prime Minister Banny has formed a new cabinet, replacing the former Ministers of Transport and Environment, dividing the Ministries of Justice and Interior in twoministries each, and naming two new Secretaries of State, a rank slightly below that of minister. Thus, the new cabinet has four more members than the previous one, but the political balance remains roughly the same. It remains to be seen whether this will strengthen Banny's control over his cabinet, which one of his close advisors told the Ambassador was the real purpose of this reshuffle. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) In a televised address on September 16, President Gbagbo,s spokesman Desire Tgro announced the formation of a new cabinet, te days after Prime Minister Banny tendered his goernment,s resignation over the toxic waste scandal Tagro read two decrees, one reappointing Banny s Prime Minister, and the other naming the rest o the cabinet. ¶3. (C) Two ministers were removedfrom the cabinet in the wake of the toxic waste candal: Minister of Transport Anaky Kobenan, whois the head of the opposition MFA (Movement of Frces of the Future) party, and Minister of the Envronment Jacques Andoh, who is a former member ofparliament from the PIT (International Party of orkers) party, which is loosely aligned with Preident Gbagbo's FPI (Ivoirian Popular Front). Th new Minister of Transport is Abdel Aziz Thiam, Dirctor General of SITARAIL, the government rail copany, who is not politically active but believedto be sympathetic to the opposition PDCI (Democrtic Party of Cote d'Ivoire) because he is a granchild of long-time President Houphouet-Boigny, fonder of the PDCI. The new Minister of Environmentis Daniel Ayissi Aka, an economist, university professor, and a nationalsecretary for the PIT. ¶4. (C) The Ministry of Interior and TerritorialAdministration was split into two. Former InteriorMinister Joseph Dja Ble, politically neutral, reains on as the new Minister of Security, and Danel Bamba Cheik, a career civil servant but belieed to be sympathetic to the FPI, was newly appoited as Minister of Territorial Administration. The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights was also spit in two. Mamadou Kone, politically independentbut leaning toward the opposition RDR (Rally of epublicans) remains Minister of Justice, while MA Vice President Joel N'Guessan was newly appointd as Minister for Human Rights. The decree alsonamed two new Secretaries of State, a rank slightly lower than Minister. Ginette Ursule Yoman, a career civil servant but a protege of PDCI leader former President Bedie and formerly a close advisor to Prime Minister Banny, was named Secretary of State for Good Governance, and Noel Yao, also SIPDIS believed to lean towards PDCI, was named Secretary of State for Civil Protection. ¶5. (C) All other ministers stayed the same. The complete list is as follows: Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Communications CHARLES KONAN BANNY FPI: Minister of National Reconciliation and Relations with the Institutions SEBASTIEN DANO DJEDJE Minister of National Education MICHEL AMANI N,GUESSAN Minister of Mines and Energy LEON EMMANUEL MONNET Minister of State, Minister of Planning and Development ANTOINE BOHOUN BOUABRE Minister of Civil Service, Labor, and Administrative Reform HUBERT OULAYE Minister of the Fight Against HIV/AIDS CHRISTINE ADJOBI, FPI Minister of Animal Production and Fisheries ALPHONSE DOUATI PDCI: Minister of Foreign Affairs YOUSSOUF BAKAYOKO ABIDJAN 00001050 002.2 OF 003 Minister of Economic Infrastructure PATRICK ACHI Minister of Health and Public Hygiene REMI ALLAH KOUADIAO Minister of Industry and Private Sector Promotion MARIE TEHOUA AMAH Minister of Youth Civic Education and Sports DAGOBERT BANZIO RDR: Minister of Agriculture AMADOU GON COULIBALY Minister of Construction Town Planning and Housing MARCEL BENOIT AMON TANOH Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research IBRAHIMA CISSE BACONGO Minister of Family and Social Affairs JEANNE PEUHMOND Minister of New Information Technologies and Communication HAMED BAKAYOKO NEW FORCES: Minister of State, Minister in Charge of Reconstruction and Reintegration Program GUILLAUME SORO Minister of Solidarity and War Victims LOUIS DACOURY-TABLEY Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts AMADOU KONE Minister of Commerce MOUSSA DOSSO Minister of Technical Education and Vocational Training YOUSSOUF SOUMAHORO UDPCI: Minister of Cooperation and African Integration MABRI TOIKEUSE PIT: Minister of Environment Waters and Forest Resources DANIEL AYISSI AKA (new minister) UDCY: Minister of Culture and Francophone Affairs THEODORE MEL EG MFA: Minister of Human Rights (new ministry) JOEL N,GUESSAN Civil Society: Minister of Justice MAMADOU KONE, leans toward RDR Minister of Territorial Administration (new ministry) DANIEL CHEIK BAMBA, career civil servant, probably leans toward FPI Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance CHARLES DIBY KOFFI career civil servant, politically neutral Deputy Minister of Communication MARTINE KOFFI STUDER, probably leans toward PDCI Secretary of State for Good Governance SIPDIS GINETTE YOMAN, career civil servant, probably leans toward PDCI Secretary of State for Civil Protection SIPDIS NOEL YAO, career civil servant, probably leans toward PDCI Minister of Defense RENE APHING KOUASSI, probably leans toward PDCI Minister of Security JOSEPH DJA BLE (politically neutral) ABIDJAN 00001050 003.2 OF 003 Minister of Transport ABDEL AZIZ THIAM (probably leans toward PDCI) ¶5. (C) COMMENT: As predicted, Banny has formed a new government with relatively few changes and roughly the same political balance. What remains to be seen is whether this will strengthen Banny's control over his cabinet, which one of his close advisors told the Ambassador was the real purpose of this reshuffle (reftel). END COMMENT. Hooks