Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abidjan (Fides Service)- “Here in Bouake there is calm before the tempest. Any moment we expect the army to start a vast offensive” a local source in Bouke told Fides. Yesterday Bouke, the largest city held by Ivory Coast’s New Forces rebels was bombed by government aircraft. “There were three air raids on the town. One at 7.30 in the morning, another at 11 and the last at 2.30” the sources told Fides. “The last raid was the heaviest and it targeted an anti aircraft battery which rebels had installed in a residential area. During the raids the New Forces headquarters and the offices of the movement’s political wing were both destroyed. Several people, all civilians, were killed or wounded. In fact the bombing was not very precise because the aircraft flew high to avoid being hit”.
“Now the rebels are preparing to resist a large scale land offensive expected any moment. We have reports that government troops are moving towards rebel positions” the sources told Fides.
President Gbagbo is meeting with representatives of the French embassy, and, according to Fides sources “the meeting is to prepare the evacuation of foreigners from the areas which could be affected by the offensive which has not yet started precisely to wait for the outcome of the meeting”.
In view of the government attack, rebels sacked homes and missions. “They took our car saying it was for our safety and that they would return it” a missionary sister who asked not to be named told Fides. The rebels also took supplies of food and medicines. “The rebels will never surrender, they will fight to the bitter end” the sources told Fides
Ample space was given by the local press to what was called the “72h” attack. The daily newspaper “La Voix”, close to President Laurent Gbagbo, was reported as saying that the “rain of bombs” on rebel positions will re-unite the nation divided in two since September 2002 with the north west in the hands of the New Forces rebels. Observers are perplexed by the army offensive. “Until yesterday President Gbagbo excluded a military option. He could have been forced by army leaders to make the decision” a local source told Fides. According to another local source “to take the rebels by surprise Gbagbo spoke of peace while preparing for war”. “They waited for the departure for Togo of the political leader of the rebels Guillaume Soro, on 3 November, before launching the offensive”.
The New Forces leaders asked the 4,000 French troops and 10,000 men of a UN peacekeeping force of various nationalities, to stop the air raids. But both forces said they had neither the means nor the mandate to intervene. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/11/2004 righe 46 parole 578)
