PRESIDENT GBAGBO FINALLY VISITS WESTERN COTE

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000366 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV IV SUBJECT: PRESIDENT GBAGBO FINALLY VISITS WESTERN COTE D'IVOIRE REF: ABIDJAN 219 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. On June 7, President Gbagbo amid tight security embarked on a ten day trip to the west and northwest of the country. His visit to the west is a political and personal triumph as he has not been able to travel to the west since the country was divided in 2002. The visit, which had repeatedly been postponed, seems to have been made possible as the result of an agreement regarding the re-burial in that region of the body of native son General Robert Guei, who led a transition government following the 1999 coup. Gbagbo's visit can be seen as a sign that the country is reunited and its President can travel throughout the country. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) During his trip to western and northwestern Cote d'Ivoire, President Gbagbo will visit the regions of 18 Montagnes, Bafing and Denguele, areas that often witness small-scale violence. Security for the President's trip has been tight; a total of 1,500 to 2,000 national army and Forces Nouvelles soldiers were reportedly deployed to ensure the President's safety. Gbagbo first announced that he would travel to the volatile western region in September 2007 and the trip was officially postponed twice. Local media reported several times during 2008 and in early 2009 that a trip was in the works, but it did not come to fruition until now. The head of the youth section of the President's FPI party told Poloff that the trip had been postponed due to financial constraints. However, other interlocutors have told Emboffs that the key obstacle has been the unanswered questions surrounding the 2002 death of General Robert Guei, who headed the transition government that followed a coup in ¶1999. There have been allegations that Guei supported the September 2002 coup attempt that turned into a rebellion and that as a result he was murdered by elements of the government. Guei belonged to the Yacouba ethnic group which is predominant in the west. (See Reftel). Supposedly, Gbagbo sent emissaries to meet with the Guei family to ensure that he would receive a warm welcome. Government papers highlighted pictures of the President surrounded by the Guei family. ¶3. (U) During a June 8 visit to the department of Biankouma (18 Montagnes region),Gbagbo announced that Guei, who is reportedly buried in a family vault in Abidjan, will be re-buried in his village of Kabacouma in late August. According to the press, opposition Transportation Minister Albert Mabri Toikeusse, who is president of the UDPCI political party founded by Guei, welcomed the President's announcement. ¶4. (U) In public remarks delivered in Kouibly on June 9, Gbagbo seemed to sum up the purpose of his trip. Noting that Prime Minister Soro was accompanying him, the visit is meant to showcase a sense of unity of purpose between the two leaders. Gbagbo told the people of Kouibly, some of whom supported the Forces Nouvelles, that he did not come as a prosecutor ready to identify the guilty and judge them. He said he came to weld the country back together and to foster peace, reconciliation, dialogue, and mutual understanding: good themes for mounting a campaign. ¶5. (SBU) Gbagbo's visit to the west is significant in that it indicates that the President can travel throughout the country, which is now officially united. Over the last two years, Gbagbo has visited the northern half of the country that came under the control of the Forces Nouvelles after the 2002 rebellion. But, the west seemed to remain off limits for him until negotiations between his camp and Guei's kinsmen reached a breakthrough during the last few weeks, paving the way for the return homeof Guei's body and a proper traditional burial. AKUETTEH